Truth To Be Told
by Anime no Akuma
Summary: Kaelys had never been a normal child. Trapped for two years in an asylum, she however manages to escape. When she wakes up in a world much different from her own, she realizes that she can no longer afford to be weak, and sets off on a journey with only one goal in mind: to be free. "They cut off your wings before you could even realize you had them. How pathetic is that?"
1. The Beast Inside

**This is the corrected (though not modified) chapter. I'm going over all of my chapters to correct some mistakes, you see. So, for those who already know the story, don't mind me. For those who are only just starting, though, I welcome you warmly, and hope you'll have a good time. There will be more details at the end of the chapter.**

 **Enjoy!**

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Eleven years old Kaelys was sitting on a cold bench, stiff. Through the locked door of the doctor's office before her, she could hear snippets of the ongoing conversation between her mother and Miss Kelly.

Miss Kelly was a really nice woman in her mid-thirties, with a loving husband and two boys slightly younger than herself. For the passed five years, the Doctor had been her best friend and confidant. She asked questions, Kaelys answered honestly, and the woman wrote down her notes before smiling and asking new questions. It was nice, for the young girl. No one talked to her that way, looking at her straight in the eyes and actually listening.

However, in the last few sessions, Miss Kelly had seemed bothered by something Kaelys said, and had asked for a few tests to be made. The black-haired girl didn't really remember everything—just that they took pictures of her brain or something of the sort, and she was growing rather worried about what exactly was going on. Miss Kelly had merely sent her a gentle smile, kind of twitching, before demanding to speak to her mother.

Alone.

 _'_ _Stop worrying so much. I'm sure it's nothing'_

 **'** **Plus, you're giving me a headache'**

" _I'm_ giving _you_ a headache?" muttered incredulously Kaelys.

The girl didn't really understand what she said wrong. If there was one thing to know about her, it was that she always told the truth, no matter the circumstances. She never truly understood the necessity of lies and secrets, so she never resorted to those means.

But she wasn't _too_ worried. After all, Miss Kelly was her best friend. She'd help her with whatever she found, the child had no doubt about it.

 **'** **You shouldn't trust that woman so much'**

Before she could answer, the door _finally_ opened. She jumped on her feet as her mother came out, but her smile instantly dropped. The beautiful blue eyes of her mother, usually sparkling with laughter, were red and puffy, as if she had cried a lot.

"… Mom?"

"Come on, Kaelys. Let's go home."

Frowning a little, the child glanced at Miss Kelly, who was still in her office arranging some papers, apparently determined not to look her way.

"Well, that's weird," mumbled the little girl.

 _'_ _I must agree'_

 **'** **Now you're seeing it!?'**

"Kaelys!"

"R- right!"

The black-haired child ran to catch up with her mother, whose gaze was slightly hollow and glinting with some unshed tears.

Kaelys wasn't stupid. Whatever Miss Kelly and her mother found out, it was bad.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," she sighed quietly.

 _'_ _Same'_

 **'** **Ditto'**

* * *

The rest of the day passed like a blur. Her mother became all cheery when they reached the house. She made spaghetti for supper, along with a chocolate cake, before the both of them settled on the couch and watched movies until very late in the night. Kaelys knew her mother's smile was faked, but didn't call her out on it.

When she woke up, though, it was only to find her mother closing the pink suitcase that the child normally used for big trips. Her mother brushed off all her questions, simply saying that they were going to see another Doctor, even though she wouldn't say why.

 **'** **Not suspicious at all, uh?'**

"Mom," Kaelys tried once more, her voice rather quiet as her mother drove them to God-knows-where. "Am… am I going to die?"

That seemed to snap the woman out of her daze, and the blonde's tightly held lips broke in an apologizing smile.

"O- of course not, sweetheart," she then assured. "I'm sorry for worrying you like that. But no, you're not going to die. It's just… you're sick. Very much so. However, you're going to get better. It might take a while, but I promise you will."

"What could I have been diagnosed with that mom is afraid of telling?" wondered the child, pursuing her lips.

 **'** **You're crazy, that's what'**

 _'_ _Don't say that!'_

"I'm not crazy!" protested rather vehemently Kaelys.

Her mother shot her a look at her exclamation, but said nothing more and kept on driving, eyes stubbornly locked on the road ahead.

* * *

The place they stopped at was… odd, to say the least. It looked like an awful mix between a hospital and a prison. It was big, with a black fence three times her size surrounding it. As they stepped inside, the smell of antiseptics became so strong it made her dizzy.

"Wherever we are, I don't like it," stated quietly the young girl.

 _'…_ _same'_

 **'** **Agreed'**

They were escorted to an office by a woman that reminded Kaelys of a nurse, before being invited inside by a man in his twenties, with brown hair and deep blue eyes. He offered them a gentle smile.

"Ah, Miss Clove," he greeted, shaking her mother's hand. "I'm Doctor Shawn. I've been the one assigned to Kaelys. Oh, and _you_ must be said Kaelys, right?"

She simply stared back at him, rather intimidated.

"He's weird," she muttered under her breath.

 **'** **Creepy, yeah'**

 _'_ _Really? He seems awfully nice, though…'_

 **'** **The best smiles always hide the worst secrets'**

The two adults started talking, but the black-haired child wasn't paying attention anymore, her eyes wandering across the room. After a few seconds, her gaze fell upon the nameplate on the desk.

 _Shawn Cruz_

 _Certified Doctor of_

 _Hanwell Asylum_

Her heart quickened its pace as the words danced before her eyes.

"Asylum…?" Her throat tightened. "Asylum…!?"

 _'…_ _what?'_

 **'** **Run, damn it! Get out of here!'**

Unable to think straight anymore, Kaelys didn't even spare a glance to her mother and ran outside, slamming the door on her way out. Cries echoed behind her but she ignored them, focused on a single thought.

"Gotta get out of here," she gritted her teeth.

 **'** **Turn right!'**

She did as told, dashing through what seemed to be a cafeteria, which was full of people. A few nurses tried to snatch her but the girl easily avoided their clutches as she ran faster toward the door, which was leading outside. However, as she placed her hand on the handle, a security guard grabbed her from behind and lifted her from the floor, pinning her arms to her body.

She started screaming and kicking as she was forcefully dragged away from her only chance of escape. Then, through her struggle, she faintly noticed pain flaring in her neck.

"No!"

Her voice died down, her vision blurred, and darkness took over.

* * *

When Kaelys woke up, she found herself in an unfamiliar room. Lying on a cold bed, she could make out the shapes of two chairs and a table next to her, a closed window and a smaller room, which she soon realized was a bathroom.

 **'** **About damn time you woke up'**

"What happened?" her throat felt sore and her tongue was numb. "Wait… I'm… the asylum! Mom- mom _left_ _me_ in a-a fricking asylum!"

 _'_ _Breathe. You need to stay calm. If you want to get out, you have to find out why you're here in the first place'_

"But I'm not crazy…" Her eyes watered, but she blinked the tears back. "Crying won't help. I've got to keep a clear head."

With that, she sat on the uncomfortable bed, her vision fully coming back in the process. Then, she slowly got back on her feet. She swayed a little, still somewhat dizzy from whatever they had injected her with. Then, she headed for the door and twisted the handle, only for it to block midway.

Her eyes widened. "It's locked!"

 **'** **Those bastards! Their blood will spill as soon as we're out of here!'**

 _'_ _Calm down, both of you! Try the window'_

Obeying, she however had to come to an understanding: the window was too small, blocked by a thick glass, meaning she couldn't use it to get out.

"Guess I'll be stuck here for a while," she grunted, sitting on one of the chairs.

* * *

After what seemed like hours, there was a 'BUZZ' and the door slid open, letting enter a familiar brown-haired man with a white coat. He closed the door before she could even think about running again, before taking the other chair with a smile.

"What's his name?" she mumbled, staring as he took out a few files. "Ugh, I don't remember…"

"I'm Doctor Shawn," he said while setting a glass of water before her. "Are you thirsty?"

She held the glass before her eyes for a few seconds, eying its contents in suspicion.

"How can I be sure he's not trying to drug me again?" the girl wondered, wary.

"I'm not," assured the man, still smiling. "It's just water."

The girl shot him a look but, her thirst winning over her paranoia, she downed everything in one go. Apparently satisfied, the doctor took out a notepad.

"So, Kaelys…" He looked over one of the papers. "Do you know why you're here?"

"I'm not crazy," she instantly replied. "I'm totally fine. Let me go back!"

He shook his head at that, as if talking to an insufferable child.

"You're not fine, Kaelys," he announced, his tone even. "But you will be. So, your mother left you in our care because you have been diagnosed with a certain case of schizophrenia—"

"The voices aren't hallucinations!" she vehemently protested. "They're real!"

"I know they are."

At that, she faltered, hope blooming despite all in her heart.

 **'** **Don't trust him!'**

"Y- you… you know…?"

"I know," he repeated softly. "But these voices, in your head… they're not good for you. So, we have to send them away."

Her heart missed a beat and she recoiled instantly.

"Send them away?" she repeated, almost too quietly to be heard. "They can't do this, they're my friends… I'm not loosing them! Not when they're the only ones who never abandoned me… Now let me out of here!"

"I know you think they're your friends, Kaelys." His voice was soothing, but the girl wasn't fooled anymore. "But they can't stay, do you understand? They make you ill, and—"

"I'm not ill! Just because you can't hear them too doesn't mean I'm crazy! And just because I'm eleven doesn't mean I'm stupid either! Drop the mask! It's just your job to treat me or whatever, so stop acting as if you actually care!"

"I do ca—"

"Shut up! Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!"

Her chair fell to the floor in a metallic 'CLANG' as she gripped her head in her hands, gritting her teeth. She stumbled, hit the wall with her back against which she let herself slid to the floor.

"My father killed himself after I was born… My only friend moved away five years ago… All my classmates judge me 'cause I look different… Miss Kelly is the one who sent me here… My mother is the one who dumped me in this stupid place… The voices are the only ones who never left me!" She gripped her head tighter, her knees to her chest. "They're the only ones who never abandoned me… I won't let you take them away… I won't let you, you hear me!?"

Doctor Shawn got up, tucking all the papers under his arms while staring at the girl, at lost at what to do. She was obviously more under the influence of her illness than they all thought, which worried him greatly.

"I won't let them take you away…" she kept muttering under her breath. "I won't let them… I won't let them…"

He sighed, before opening the door.

"Food will be brought in soon. When you're mentally apt to get out, you'll be allowed to meet the other patients," he announced.

But she was barely listening, shaking violently. He would have asked for another injection, but two doses in such a short amount of time would do more bad than good, even more so on such an unstable mind as hers.

"I'll see you later, Kaelys. Try to get some rest."

She let out a choked sound as he left, the door locking behind him.

"I'm not crazy… I'm not crazy… I'm not crazy…"

* * *

.

.

"How many voices can you hear?"

The child kept silent pursuing her lips.

 _'_ _You can tell him'_

 **'** **Don't!'**

"… two," she gave in.

"And since when can you hear them?" pursued Doctor Shawn.

 **'** **Shut it, brat! I mean it!'**

 _'_ _Don't be so mean!'_

 **'** **Just you wait, I'll—"**

"You'll what? Give me a damn headache like usual?" the girl scoffed.

That caught the attention of the man, who looked up from his notes and eyed her with curiosity.

"Are they talking to you right now?" he asked gently.

She eyed him for a few seconds, suspicion glinting in her eyes.

"They don't like him, and me neither." She bit her lower lip. "Should I really talk to Dr. Whatever?"

"I'm Doctor Shawn." He wrote something down. "Are you conscious that you're saying what you think out loud?"

"What's it to him anyway…" She however looked away. "I… It's just too crowded inside. I can't hear myself thinking unless I say it. That's all."

"And don't you want it to stop?" the man softly inquired.

"Why would I?" she raised an eyebrow at that. "It's not like I've got anything to hide. Lies and secrets… what good are they, in the end? I prefer not to bother with those things. They're annoying."

He simply hummed for only answer. Was it from agreement or simply to humor her, Kaelys would never really be able to say.

* * *

.

.

"Hey, do you wanna play with us?"

"Get lost."

The boy, a second sooner all happy-go-lucky, started crying as if he was told he would never be able to eat chocolate again. He ran away with his ball and the girl stare with indifference for a moment, before returning to her book.

She had been allowed outside with the other patients of her age, for she hadn't tried to run since that first time, and even got back her suitcase, which contained her two favorite books. She wasn't agreeing to this life, far from it, but she couldn't do anything at the moment, being so heavily monitored and watched by all.

As if on cue, the nurse who had been assigned to babysit her came closer, having heard and seen the exchange with the little boy.

"You don't want to play with the others, Kaelys?"

"No." The black-haired girl turned a page, her voice lowering. "The hell does she want with me? Can't she see I'm busy?"

"You should be a little nicer, though," remarked gently the nurse.

With a heavy sigh, the child put down her book as if it was the most tiring experience she ever had to suffer through, before locking eyes with the nurse.

"Why?" she then asked, rather coldly. "They're not friends. They're not family. I owe them nothing, and kindness is nothing but another sort of lie, when you think about it. I don't lie, miss, you ought to know that by now. They could die for all I care, and so could you."

"R- right…"

Before the nurse could say anything more, though, the boy from sooner –whom, in the meantime, had found back his smile-, fell rather harshly to the ground and hit his head on a rock. He instantly stopped moving as blood slowly started tainting the grass underneath him.

There were cries and horrified exclamations as other nurses ran to him while the one assigned to Kaelys simply gasped.

"There." Kaelys picked up her book and returned to her reading. "Dead"

* * *

In the end, the boy lived.

 _'_ _Thank God'_

 **'** **A shame'**

"Whatever."

A month had passed since her oh-so-dear mother had abandoned her in that asylum. The supervising had lessened somewhat, but she still couldn't find the good opportunity to flee.

"And said mother is coming back today, uh?" she recalled, lying on her bed while twirling a strand of black hair between her fingers.

 **'** **Break her'**

"Oh, I will."

* * *

.

.

"Kaelys!"

The woman hugged her tightly, but the daughter stayed unresponsive to the embrace. Worried, the mother pulled away and locked her eyes with Kaelys'.

The purple orbs stared back, void of any emotion.

"Ka—"

"I hate you."

The blonde took a step back, gasping for air as if she just had been punched.

"Wh—"

"I hate you," repeated the child. "You abandoned me. Just like everyone else, you turned your back to me. You left me here to have my only true friends taken away, and you have the galls to show up a month later as if you cared?"

The woman placed an hand over her mouth, unable to answer the accusations, and Kaelys' lips twisted in a snarl.

"Get out of here." With that, she turned her back to her and headed for the door, her tone low once more. "I don't know who she is. She's not my mother. Mom would never have dumped me like some sort of burden like that woman did."

Tears rolled down the blonde's cheeks as her daughter left the room accompanied with a security guard and a nurse. Doctor Shawn entered as soon as the girl was away, and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, not knowing what to do or say to the distraught woman.

"We'll… we'll do the best we can," he assured. "Her case… it seems worse than we thought. I'm afraid she'll have to stay longer. But I'm sure she'll be fine."

"Just get her better," the distressed mother hid her face in her hands. "Please, just bring me back my baby…"

* * *

Another month passed without much more results. The girl grew even more isolated, if that was even possible, and her thoughts became darker.

 _She's practically apathetic about human life._

Doctor Shawn shifted on his seat, gazing at the many papers lingering on his desk while feeling a headache forming.

The girl wasn't heartless, she even cried when a bird hit her window and died from the shock, but it would seem as if her morals had just… switched. Lack of emotional responsiveness was a common occurrence for victims of schizophrenia, but he never faced such a twisted case before, which made him restless.

From what he knew, the illness had been passed down for a few generations in her family by now. Her father had committed suicide after the voices became too "troublesome" for him, so there always had been a doubt that the child would inherit this unfortunate trait. However, her case hadn't been helped for she had been revealed to suffer from _Alexandria's Genesis_. The purple eyes given by this genetic disorder lead her classmates to shun her away and, already having difficulties to relate to other kids her age, it only worsened her social inabilities.

She presented most of the symptoms of "normal" schizophrenia: the hallucinations, or voices, were obviously the main one. She also showed a serious social withdrawal, termed passivity, emotional difficulty, paranoia, difficult long-termed memory and was also convinced that she wasn't ill. Those weren't uncommon, thirty to fifty percent of the victims of schizophrenia refused to understand that they were ill.

What made her case so… different, was how she hold actual conversations with the two voices in her heads. He hadn't encouraged a naming, for it would only strengthen the belief of their existence, but she didn't seem bothered by it. There was also her habit of always saying what she's thinking out loud, as if no one could hear her. If she was aware that others could hear, she never showed she knew or cared about it.

Her morals hadn't fully switched either, as he put it sooner. While she seemed passive about human deaths in general, she seemed rather distraught at the idea of the voices "dying". From what he understood, it was because she considered them close friends. He proposed to the child a scenario in which her mother died, but it only earned a cold _"too bad"_ for his efforts, which lead him to conclude that she would react like any other would if she ever lost someone precious to her but, seeing how her mother "abandoned her", she lost her value in the girl's eyes.

He bit his lower lip, gathering his things for the new session, before heading for her room. She hadn't made a move to flee yet, noticing right away how heavily watched she was, but he wasn't fooled. He knew she was just waiting.

That was another troubling thing. Sometimes, the girl acted as a child her age, minus the illness. Other times, she acted like a matured adult, strategizing with frightening accuracy. He played chess against her once, instantly noticing the shift in her personality as they started the game. She never spoke once, at that time, and won in four moves.

While those sides of her resembled each other, they were clearly different, which forced him to add "potential personality disorder" on her file.

 _For one so young to be so messed up… can't she see I just want to help her?_

Shaking his head, Doctor Shawn finally reached her room. The door slide open and he entered, ready to deal with another hour of utter failure, and froze in spot.

"Kaelys!"

The eleven-years-old was sitting against the wall, one of the chairs lying on the floor with glass shards, which more than probably came from the now broken window.

"Security!" He ran to her side. "Bring a medical kit, quick!"

Her wrists were open, blood pouring from the numerous cuts. She was still hanging to consciousness, though, her gaze unusually sharp. Right now, he knew he was facing the Adult Kaelys.

And that's what scared him the most.

Crouching down to her level as a security guard brought the asked-for medical kit, he sent the man back after realizing her wounds weren't life threatening.

"Why… why did you do this?" it took the man a few seconds to realize he was the one who had spoken.

He started cleaning the blood, before bandaging her wrists.

"Because it hurts," she then answered, her voice a whisper. "It hurts to be alone. They're my friends, but it's not the same. So, when I hurt myself physically, my heart stops aching."

She had stated this fact with the tone another would use while talking about the weather, which made his blood freeze in his veins. Then, he realized she was slowly drifting away to sleep.

"I love and I hate so much at once…" Her eyelids dropped, her voice now a breath. "How is it possible?"

Doctor Shawn didn't have an answer.

* * *

.

.

Due to her little stunt, she was now restrained, chained down. All day and all night, she was trapped in leather bindings or a brand new straitjacket. She struggled, kicked, bit as they forced them on, in vain. She screeched and fought back, her strength slowly draining away with what was left of her sanity.

She never hurt other patients or employees, only herself, so why? Why did they shackled her like some sort of animal? Why did they treat her like a beast in cage?

Her throat was sore, she screamed too much.

Yet she couldn't find the will to stop.

They came in the morning, when the sun was already shining high and bright. One would think the hell awaiting her would be preceded by a some rain or dark clouds, but even the sky seemed to mock her misery.

"Where are they taking me?" Her voice slurred as she felt herself being tied to a chair. "Let me go… why did they brought me here?"

"I'm sorry, Kaelys. It's the only way."

She still didn't understand. She could do nothing as they put some weird helmet around her head, and they completely ignored her screams and her struggles. She was still cursing loudly when her voice suddenly died in her throat, unable to get out due to sheer mental exhaustion. Then, without warning, the doctors and nurses stepped aside and the machines surrounding her started wiring.

"W-what's that?" she gasped, fear gripping her guts. "What's hap—"

There a flash of light, a crackled of electricity, and pain suddenly overcame every inch of her body. Her nerves were set on fire as they shocked her again, and again, and again…

Kaelys was screaming once more.

* * *

.

.

Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, months turned into a year, and said year soon became two. Now thirteen years old, Kaelys hadn't changed that much, if not at all. While her body survived through torture and puberty –if there was a difference, she couldn't tell-, her mental state was more unstable than ever.

The girl had had enough of this, though. She had bid her time, bit her tongue while waiting for the day to come, the day where she would take the freedom they had stolen from her two years ago.

"They think they're helping me, but they're not," she clenched her fists, tied once more to her bed.

 _'_ _It won't last any longer, though'_

 **'** **It is time'**

"Yes…" Her fists unclenched. "It is time…"

Grabbing the scalpel she had stolen sooner from an unaware nurse, she easily cut through her bindings, along with some skin.

But she didn't care.

Getting up, she was just in time to… greet, the nurse coming inside for the usual injections. Before the woman could even process that her patient had suddenly freed herself, Kaelys moved.

The body of the nurse hit the ground, blood spilling from the now slit throat as the teen started running without another glance behind.

Kaelys didn't know how many she killed, didn't care to remember either. She was solely focused on escaping the asylum. After what felt like an eternity, she reached the cafeteria and instantly made her way for the door. The scene was familiar, awfully so, as she placed her hand on the handle.

"Nothing will stop me now," she seethed, passing through.

 **'** **Behind you!'**

Reacting to the warning in the span of a second, the black-haired girl blindly slashed the scalpel while spinning around to face the oncoming threat. There was a pained gasp as none other than Doctor Shawn fell to the floor, blood oozing from the new wound adorning his right eye.

"Why, Kaelys?" He clutched his face, red liquid slipping through his fingers. "You killed so many… and we only wanted to help you… Have you no regrets!?"

"It's not _my_ fault," she replied in an even tone. "It's _yours_. You're the one who made me this way. I was perfectly fine before that woman dumped me here and you decided to go berserk on me. Trying to help, you said?"

She let out a dry laugh at that, and the man suddenly understood that the Adult Kaelys he was so scared of had taken over.

"You _tortured_ me! For two long years you hurt me, traumatized me! I know I'm messed up, but I was perfectly fine until _you_ came in the picture! I'm not the one who killed all those people, _you_ are! _You're_ the only one at fault!"

Her grip tightened on her scalpel, which blade was glinting under the sun with slowly coagulating blood.

"Congratulations, Doctor." For a second, her purple orbs glinted with so much disgust and hate he felt like throwing up. "You created a monster."

With that, without sparing another glance to his trembling form, she picked up the pace once more.

"Kaelys!"

She kept on running.

* * *

 **I guess this _is_ kind of a heavy beginning, even more so for a Fairy Tail fanfic, of al things. But hey! You gotta do what you gotta do, right?**

 **::**

 **Anyway, here are a few points I wish to make clear for everyone:**

 **1- I do not suffer from schizophrenia, PTSD, or any other kind of mental illness (saved maybe for anxiety, though I think a lot of people can relate to that). I do not have a friend, a family member or even a distant acquaintance that suffers from those either. I also have never met, talked or conversed in any way whatsoever with a doctor or a specialist that is in contact with people suffering of those mentionned illnesses and others. Otherwise said, all that has happened in this chapter could be as true as it could be false. I've tried my best to make things as realistic as possible with the knowledge and information I managed to gather on the net. The symptoms of those mental illnesses are true, supposedly so, and I truly did what I could to build up my character to the best of my abilities.**

 **2- I do not mean to harm anyone in any way when mentionning or using those mental illnesses. Schizophrenia, PTSD, self-harm, trauma and others of the like are real problems that real people have deal with, and this story was partially created in hopes to sensibilize people to those issues. I assure you that I mean no disrespect when using those issues in my story.**

 **3- I _know_ that electroconvulsive therapy is no longer used in treatments (officially, at least). This story is happening in the modern era, so they normally wouldn't use it, but for the sake of the story and also because I might be a tad twisted author, I've decided to use it.**

 **4- The Hanwell Asylum is a real asylum located in London, in England. I do not know if it is still used for such a purpose.**

 **5- I'm telling you here and now: there is NO plot twist when it comes to Kaelys's mental state. She truly suffers from schizophrenia, even though I may have twisted some of the symptoms a bit. All the mental issues, the "potential personality disorder" and the rest are TRUE. There is no magic, no hoodoo-voodoo-ish ancestors, no "I can see dead people!" speech: she's schizophrenic and that's that.**

 **6- English is not my first language. Therefore, I deeply apologize for the mistakes you'll surely find. I can assure you that I'm doing what I can to avoid them. I'll be happy if you point out mistakes I repetitively make so that I can correct them.**

 **7- Last but not least: I will not tolerate any kind of hurtful or disgraceful comments on this story. I believe we are all civilized people who can speak without resorting to insults or things of the like. If you are unhappy with my story, you are more than welcome to tell me why, as long as your complaints are formulated politely.**

 **::**

 **Anyway, that's all. I just really wanted to clear all of this stuff up right at the beginning, to make sure we'd all be on the same page. Also, this is a slow-update kind of story. I try to not take too much time between chapters, but I _do_ have a life outside and duties to fulfill. If you have any questions concerning Kaelys or the story in general, don't hesitate to ask! I'm always happy to answer.**

 **So, on that note, I'll be going. I hope you'll stick around for the rest of the story, and don't forget to leave a review if you have the time! It's really appreciated!**

 **~Akuma**


	2. Crazier Than The Crazy Within

**I forgot to do this in the first chapter, but I'm only saying it once: there is violence in this story. There is gore, blood and the use of profanities. While it's worst at the beginning, it _will_ be present throughout the whole story. **

**Also, again, I'm only doing this once: I do not own Fairy Tail in any way, shape or form. I merely own my original characters such as Kaelys, her mother, Doctor Shawn and a few others.**

 **That is all. Enjoy!**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

Kaelys snapped her eyes open, instantly noticing the gigantic trees looming over her collapsed form. She could feel rocks and broken branches under her body, and marveled for a few seconds at the beauty of the sunrays through the foliage.

She shook her head, sitting up and looking around.

"Where are we?"

 _'_ _I don't know'_

 **'** **Beats me'**

"So helpful" she drawled, getting back to her feet.

She wasn't supposed to be in a forest, of all things. There wasn't any around the asylum, she knew that. So, the question was: how the hell did she end up there, wherever 'there' was?

 _'_ _You should find some new clothes first'_

 **'** **And get rid of that blood too'**

Looking down at herself, she realized without much care that the blue robe she had been forced to wear while in the hellhole was ripped at some places, blood splattered all over her from head to toes.

She shrugged, rubbing her wrists.

"Whatever."

* * *

After an hour of walking, Kaelys grew awfully tired. She hadn't eaten anything in a while, and certainly wasn't used to walking long-distances or exercising in general.

"Wouldn't be surprised if my muscles have deteriorated somewhat," she mused.

After all, she _had_ spent her whole time sitting or lying on her back, restrained in one way or another. It's not like she had the opportunity to keep in shape. But she kept on walking. No matter where she was, it still wasn't far enough from the asylum.

"And I'm not going back," she promised herself, staring straight ahead. "I'd rather die."

* * *

The black-haired girl's muscles were burning. Her feet bloody and sore from the road, the scars left by the electroconvulsive therapy aching…

Kaelys never felt more happy.

She could take any pain coming her way. It was a small price for the freedom she just earned with the lives of her jailers.

"Before being sent there, I took freedom as given," she recalled, her eyes lingering on the deep-green grass expending all around her. "I won't make that mistake again. Only the strong can be free in this world, so strong I will be. No matter what."

 _'_ _That's the spirit!'_

 **'** **You still need to change, though. I can't imagine what you look like with all that blood'**

"It's not like I'm not looking," huffed the girl, annoyed. "There just doesn't seem to be any sort of civilization anywhere! What am I supposed to wear, flower petals?"

A snort for only answer, she resumed to her walking. However, her peace and quiet merely lasted for three more minutes.

 _'_ _Someone's coming!'_

The girl tightened her grip on the bloody scalpel, which was hidden in her sleeve. She couldn't afford to leave her only weapon behind, so she had resorted to keeping it.

Not like the nurse who lost it would miss it anyway. Corpses can't feel many emotions.

Turning around, knowing trying to run would only take more energy than she could afford to loose, she stood straight, ready to face anyone who was coming. She waited barely a few seconds, as large figures walked out of the forest she had just left. They made their way towards her position, apparently plainly aware of her presence.

"Bet they've been watching for a while too," she grunted.

 **'** **They popped up an hour ago or so'**

 _'_ _And you didn't say anything!?'_

 **'** **I forgot!'**

Ignoring them, she concentrated on the group coming her way. There were twenty-one of them, all heavily armed, awfully big and apparently knowing what they were doing. She stood her ground, silent, as they finally stopped at exactly four meters and a half from her.

"Well, well, lookie here." The closest one offered a toothless smile. "Lost, little girlie?"

"Yeah," she nodded, calm. "Can you tell me where I am?"

He seemed taken aback for a second at her question, apparently not awaiting an actual answer, before shaking his head and grinning madly.

"You're in Bosco, little lady," he informed casually. "Near the border between here and the Fiore Kingdom."

She tilted her head to the side.

"Bosco?" she repeated, obviously confused. "Fiore Kingdom? Never heard of those before. Ah well, no matter. Can you tell me in which direction is the nearest civilization? I kind of need to change my clothes."

For a moment, the man stilled at the sight of the blood-covered gown, not having noticed beforehand her disheveled appearance _–so much blood, but it doesn't seem to be hers, what the hell!?-_ , before finding his calm once again.

"Sure thing, girl." He offered yet another grin, though this one was more… sinister. "How about you just come with us? We were heading there anyway. And you see? We're even going to offer you some really nice bracelets to come with the five-star trip."

She froze as another of the man dangled some heavy chains with a cackle.

As said many times before, Kaelys wasn't stupid. She knew those men meant trouble, so she tried to get as much information as possible while gaining more time to come up with a plan. However, what she hadn't thought to put in the equation was their rather unsavory occupation.

"Slavery, uh?" she wondered.

Her purple eyes dimmed, her childish face turned blank. At that very moment, the man who had conversed with her felt like running away and never coming back. He didn't know why, or what exactly scared him, but he felt as if he would loose his very life if he antagonized her any further. Before he could ponder over it any longer, though, one of his men came up from behind her and knocked her out before she could react. The chief let out a shaky breath he hadn't realized he had been holding as her body slumped to the ground.

 _Well, whatever. In two days, she won't be our problem anymore. Bet those eyes will sell pretty well too._

* * *

Kaelys woke up with a rather nasty headache, but she couldn't care less at the moment. She was solely focused on the chains now binding her to the wooden carriage in which she had been caged.

"I was weak," she muttered, wide-eyed. "My energy was lower than I thought, I overestimated my abilities and underestimated my opponents."

 _'_ _You have to get out of here'_

 **'** **And fast too'**

"I don't want to go back," she whispered, panic bubbling in her chest. "I just set myself free… I don't want to be chained again… I don't want to be trapped again… let me go… I don't want to go back… let me go… let me go! Let me go, let me go, let me go!"

She started hitting the wooden bars, earning the attention of a few of the slavers, who merely mocked her attempts.

"Let me go!" she kept repeating voice turning into screeches. "I'm not going back! Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!"

"Just shut up!" yelled back one of them, growing tired with her screams.

"Let me go! Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!" she ignored him, hitting harder. "I'll die before being caged again! I'm not going back! Let me go! Let me go!"

She hit and hit and hit, not caring about the bones that cracked or the blood that splattered on the wood. She pulled on the chains biting her sensible wrists, only damaging the skin in the process. She grew more and more restless, her screams becoming incomprehensible.

One of the men approached the carriage with the intention of knocking her out once more but, as soon as he reached her level, their eyes met.

Time seemed to slow down as he stared in those purple orbs, which glinted with utter savagery. Fear slithered in his veins like a snake's poison and he felt his skull being crushed from the inside. A silent scream escaped his lips as he collapsed, his head quite literally imploding. There were horrified and disgusted exclamations from those who had witnessed, but none were quick enough to react.

"DIE!" snarled the teen, her order lingering like a dark prophecy.

So they died.

She stopped screaming as they all fell to the ground without a sound, all bodies missing their heads. The girl stared through the bars at the sudden silent massacre, unfazed, merely confused.

"What… just happened…?" she whispered, slowly coming back to her senses. "I killed them, I know I did… and yet how…"

 _'_ _That was nasty'_

 **'** **Are you kidding!? That was awesome!'**

Footsteps broke the heavy silence and she instantly snapped her eyes to the source. It was yet another man, but he wasn't like those slavers, the girl could easily tell by the imposing aura that followed him. He was tall, extremely so, with silver hair that reached his shoulders, black lines tattooed on his face and a dark skin. He had a staff with a skull in one hand and a weird marks over his chest and face.

He eyed the scene for a moment, mild surprise in his dark orbs as he took in the bloody mess and the corpses lying around the carriage. Then, he spotted her. She watched him approach, unable to decide whether to fear him or not.

"Will he kill me?" she wondered quietly. "I doubt so… Wonder who he is, though"

He stopped before the wooden cage and she stared back at him, unflinching.

"Are you the one who did this?" he then asked, his voice even.

"Yes," she admitted. "But I don't know how. Who are you?"

He eyed her for a few more seconds, before the top of the carriage and some of the bars suddenly exploded, making her jump. She gaped at him.

"You-did you do this?" she asked in awe. "How'd you do it?"

"The same way you killed these men," he simply answered. "Magic"

She blinked. Once. Twice. Then made a face.

"That was a stupid question," she then stated, scrunching her nose. "You haven't answered my other one, though."

"My name is Brain," he presented himself, imposing.

"Well, that's a weird name" she replied under her breath. "His mother mustn't have much imagination…"

He twitched a little at that.

 _Does the brat thinks I can't hear her?_

"Free yourself," he ordered, keeping his cool.

"Those are metal chains," she raised her arms to show him the binding. "I'm physically not strong enough to break them."

"You just crushed their skulls with your mind," he remarked, gesturing to the headless corpses. "Surely you can crush mere metal chains. Or would you rather die here?"

She stiffened at that, before looking down at her restraints.

"How do I do it?" she muttered, pulling again. "What'd I do first… I just felt them crush under my will… is it the same? Must be…"

After a few seconds of mixed curses and remarks, the chains broke. She stared at her now freed wrists with wide eyes.

"I did it!" she practically squealed. "It really _is_ magic!"

As she awed over her newfound abilities, Brain stared at her with unmasked interest. While the child didn't seem exactly… err, stable, she had extremely strong powers. Her untamed potential could bring a lot to his future projects, if guided firmly.

He had to be careful, though. She was a young girl with what seemed to be an extremely volatile mind -for not saying a few screw looses- and that meant an also extremely volatile power. She could kill him in the span of a second just like she did with the slavers if he tried to use force.

"What is your name, child?" he asked imperiously.

"Kaelys," she instantly replied, looking back at him.

"And what do you want exactly, Kaelys?" he then inquired.

"Freedom." She didn't even hesitate. "I'm not being chained down again. And they won't take my friends either!"

For a moment, he wondered about who those friends might be, but decided that now wasn't the time and just brushed it off as another abnormality.

"Do you have any family, Kaelys?"

"No."

"Anyone to return to?"

"No. Why is he asking, does he wants to recruit me or something?" she mumbled.

"What would you say if I told you that there are many others like you here?" he ignored her comment.

At that, she stiffened and instantly recoiled away.

"I'm not crazy!"

"I… never said you were."

"You implied it!" she snapped. "I'm not stupid, you know! I've been tricked once, but it won't happen again! I'm not going back! I'll be strong so that way, I'll always be free! No one will take my friends or my freedom away, no one!"

"You are still weak, even with that power of yours," he remarked, hitting his staff to the ground to gain back her attention. "But if you come with me, you will learn to control it. You will be strong. You will be free. All I ask in return is your utmost loyalty."

At that, she stopped blabbering whatever nonsense that came to her mind and straightened her spine, her purple eyes dimming slightly.

At that moment, Brain was convinced he was facing another person.

"I understand your reasoning and agree with this course of action," she stated ceremoniously. "I have nothing to go back to, no goal to strive for. All I want is my freedom, and to learn how to control these abilities of mine. If you can offer both, then I shall join you."

"Then come," he turned around, heading back in the direction he came form. "We have much to do."

Without another word or even a glance behind, she jumped from the carriage, grabbed the scalpel that had fallen on the ground and followed him.

 _'_ _Are you sure it's a good idea?'_

 **'** **I don't like him'**

"I'm not blind." She matched her pace with his. "It is obvious he merely sees me as a tool. However, for a tool to work properly, you have to treat it accordingly, sharpen it and exploit it's very potential for a maximum of efficiency. As long as he needs me, he won't let me rust. And that's all I need."

* * *

.

.

They travelled for three days and three nights before crossing what he mentioned to be the border that had been mentioned by the slavers sooner in the week. Brain had been gracious enough to answer all of her questions, understanding she wasn't from around here quite easily, and she did her best not to bother him too much.

He had also gotten used to her quirks, like how she always slept in a sitting position, or how she always checked the water before drinking, or how she always spoke her mind.

If aggravating at first, he then realized that it was quite helpful. That way, she couldn't lie to him. While he knew she had pledged her loyalty to him, one could never be to careful. And, when he asked about those habits, she simply shifted in the strange, more mature personality of hers and answered:

"Humans are very, very ugly. They think they're helping, but they just hurt more people in the end. That's terrifying, isn't it? Thinking you're doing something good when really, you just making things worse."

He didn't really get it but soon came to the conclusion that she was schizophrenic. The friends she mentioned three days prior were obviously the voices in her head, and he could sometimes hear her converse with them.

Brain decided to let it be. It's not like he was much more sane either.

* * *

A maroon-haired boy clicked his tongue in annoyance for the nth time in the past hour. Next to him, a gigantic purple snake rubbed her head against his leg in comfort, while a white-haired girl shot him an annoyed look, crossing her arms under her generous cleavage. In the corner, a very tall man was counting money while giggling to himself. Another boy with black hair was sitting on a floating carpet in one of the corners, sleeping soundly.

The first boy was about to click his tongue again when a blond-haired one appeared in the middle of the room with what could be none other than speed magic.

"He's coming! And he's not alone!"

That got everyone's attention, saved for the one sleeping. The maroon-haired one gently petted his snake's head, closing his eyes to concentrate better on what to hear. After a few seconds, he finally caught the oncoming steps of their leader, followed by much lighter ones.

He frowned, opening his eyes. He knew that the newbie was a girl, but couldn't say much more, for he wasn't able to hear her thoughts. That didn't sit well with him.

He clicked his tongue again.

"Annoying," he muttered.

* * *

.

.

Brain opened the door of the castle-like headquarters. He had informed his newest recruit of the basics, like the group under his command known as Oración Seis and their abilities in general. He mentioned their position in the Balam Alliance, their role as a Dark Guild and how exactly things would work out for her from now on.

He hadn't talked about Nirvana yet. He still couldn't trust her with that kind of information. She seemed to know he was holding some things back, but didn't really cared to call him out on him.

That was a good thing. Tools never questioned their master.

 _Everyone,_ he called through the telepathic link. _Gather at once. We have a new member._

He glanced back at the girl next to him, who was eying the room in which they had entered with childish awe and slightly troubling suspicion.

 _And Angel,_ he added, recalling the kid's attire. _Bring a blanket._

After a few minutes, the five members of the Dark Guild gathered in the room, one of them still sleeping. The black-haired girl was sitting on a chair, posture straight and stiff, watching with suspicion as they all came in. She also had her bloodied scalpel in hands, her grip so tight her knuckles had turned white.

"From now on, Kaelys will be part of the Oración Seis" he then announced. "She uses Caster Magic. She awakened her magic a few days ago, though, which means she can't control it yet. Seeing as it obeys her emotions, I would suggest not… provoking her. The men who made that mistake aren't here to tell the tale anymore."

All –again, saved for the one dozing off- eyed the blood covering the child. It was as if she had just bathed in the red liquid, and she didn't even seemed bothered by it.

None of them managed to doubt their leader's words.

The dark-skinned man pointed his staff at the boy. "This is Racer."

"Yo," the blond-haired boy greeted.

"Hoteye."

"Do you have money?"

"Angel."

The white-haired girl simply nodded.

"Cobra."

"Tche."

"And the one sleeping is Midnight. If you want to avoid any trouble, don't wake him up."

"They've got weird names, all of them…" mumbled the child under her breath. "What the hell kind of name is Hoteye? To think _I'm_ the one who ended in the asylum…"

Cobra raised an eyebrow at that, having heard everything while the others simply gazed in curiosity as the new girl muttered to herself. Then, the child's purple eyes met his. They stared at each other for barely a second, and the boy found himself unable to hear her thoughts or intentions once more.

Her soul was a completely different story, though.

It was… broken, kind of. Like an old toy that was put back together again and again until the pieces couldn't fully fit anymore. Her soul reminded him of a sad lullaby, or a puppet who's strings had been cut and partially reattached.

Before he could delve any deeper, she looked away. Her mouth then parted agape, her thinned lips stretching into a childlike grin.

"Cute!"

Before any of them could react, she jumped from her seat and latched her arms around the purple snake's body.

After an heavy silence, the animal let out a soft hiss and placed her head onto the child's shoulder, letting Kaelys pet her head.

"C- Cubellios!? What the hell!?" exclaimed Cobra, wide eyes.

His best friend simply moved closer to the girl, who laughed quietly. For a second, the boy was tempted to forcefully take her away but, as he took a step ahead, he froze, hearing something he hadn't heard before.

 _'_ _It's disgusting'_

 **'** **Are you kidding? That thing is awesome!'**

" _That thing_ is a _she_ ," scolded lightly Kaelys. "And she's beautiful so shut it, you two."

The maroon-haired mage sent a look at Brain.

 _The girl appears to be schizophrenic,_ his leader confirmed. _I couldn't get much out of her, though. She also appears to have some sort of personality disorder._

Cobra looked back to the girl, who was still petting Cubellios. She didn't look like much at first, her pale complexion clashing with her black hair and her purples eyes were somewhat unusual, without much—he had those too, after all.

 _But the voices heard by schizophrenic people are merely hallucinations._ He recalled one of his missions in which he faced a mage with the same illness. _I wasn't able to hear them then. However, I can hear those. Does it means it's simply a stronger case? Ugh, this'll be a drag._

"Angel," their leader called. "She'll occupy the room across from yours from now on. Help her bath, and pass her some clothes for now. You two will go to the nearest village tomorrow to get what she needs."

"Understood."

Having heard Brain's order, Kaelys let go of Cubellios to follow the older girl. She left, rubbing her wrists as the door closed behind her.

"Who exactly is she?" then asked Racer, voicing all's thoughts.

Saved for Midnight. He was still sleeping.

"I found her three days ago," informed Brain, sitting behind his desk. "She had been taken prisoner by the slaver group I was charged to take care of. I arrived just in time to see her magic awaken: Telekinesis."

"Mere telekinesis can't actually kill people," Cobra replied, raising an eyebrow in mild wonder. "It consists of moving objects with the mind."

"Hers can. She crushed their skulls, all at once," replied Brain seriously. "She possesses an extremely unstable mind, which makes her dangerous. However, if she learns well, she will be a great asset for Oración Seis. Cobra?"

"I hear you," sighed heavily the boy. "But do I really have too? I'd prefer to live another day."

But at the glare of his leader, he gave in and let out an annoyed huff.

"If she becomes too much of a threat, then I will take care of her myself," he then assured. "Until then, be aware that she could very well destroy you in the span of a second if she wanted to. That is all."

"Right."

* * *

.

.

Angel stood outside of the bathroom, waiting for the girl to come out clean. The teen didn't seemed bothered by her bloody appearance at all, merely happy at the idea of soaking in some hot water for the first time in a while, and it troubled the white-haired teenager more than she liked to admit.

 _She didn't want me inside,_ Angel bit her lower lip. _Distrusting, very much so. I got a glance at her wrists and arms too. Those scars… Could she come from the Tower too? No, Brain assured us they weren't kidnapping children anymore._

The door creaked open, and the black-haired girl poked her head outside.

"Do you have some less revealing clothes?" she asked plainly. "I don't want to look like a slut. Plus, it's kind of cold."

Angel's eye twitched at the slut remark, but decided to let it slide and shook her head, taking out a folded piece of clothing.

"I can pass you my cloak until we buy what you need tomorrow," she however proposed.

"Thanks," nodded the newbie. "Geez, I wouldn't be caught dead wearing her outfits. I'd say she looks like a prostitute but she's beautiful enough to fit in well and back it up, so I guess I just won't comment on it."

"You just did, brat," Angel's eye twitched again, though slightly flattered.

Kaelys didn't answer, simply putting on the cloak the white-haired teen had just handed to her, before coming out. Then, they made their way to what would be her room.

"She's acting kind of bitchy, but that's just a mask, I can tell," muttered the girl.

"Cut it out, will you?" snapped Angel, not looking back.

"She must have been hurt a lot when she was younger too," pursued Kaelys, unaware of the growing unease of the older girl. "Guess the others are like that too. Do they come from the same place? I can't tell if they're friends or not…"

"Cut it out, I said!" exclaimed the white-haired mage, spinning around. "You're giving me the creeps! You sound crazy!"

"I'm not crazy!" instantly snapped back the girl, backing away.

At the sudden venom in her voice, Angel recoiled slightly, remembering Brain's warning about not provoking her.

"I'm not crazy!" insisted Kaelys, despair and disdain in her voice. "Don't say it! Don't say I'm crazy! I'm not, you hear me!?"

Angel's throat constricted over itself and her eyes widened as she felt herself unable to breath. Grasping her throat to get rid of the invisible hand practically strangling her. Her breath hitched as black spots danced before her eyes.

"Enough!"

Air filled her lungs once more and she dropped to the floor, gasping. Kaelys stared at her, blinking in wonder as Cobra ran to them.

"Oops." She looked down at her hands in wonder. "Guess I really need to learn, uh? I should probably apologize, but apologizing when you're not sorry resumes to lying… Guess I won't apologize, then."

"Angel, you okay?" Cobra glanced her way.

The white-haired teen simply nodded quickly, her throat still aching slightly. Cubellios approached the child, rubbing her head against the girl's hip.

"Just follow me," then grunted the maroon-haired boy, walking ahead. "Angel, get some rest."

"R- right…"

Kaelys waved, before running to catch up with the boy. As they headed for her room, he couldn't help but inquire further. Even though he had heard everything, he couldn't really understand, unable to hear her thoughts.

"Why did you lose control?"

"She called me crazy," the girl scowled, then looked away. "But I'm not. They're real, you know? They're my friends. I'm not crazy if they're real, right?"

"Obviously." He ran his fingers through his hair, searching for the right words. "But look. Here, we're not all that sane either. Being crazy isn't a bad thing, okay? Don't take it so personally."

 _'_ _He's got a point'_

 **'** **With names like theirs, of course they'd end up with a few screw looses'**

"Don't be mean," chided the girl.

"Yeah, shut it," added Cobra.

The thirteen-years-old's step faltered, and she shot him a wide-eyed look.

"Y- you heard them!?"

"I can hear a lot of things." He was seriously starting to regret his decision of guiding her himself. "That's one of my magic."

"So you know they're real, right?" she insisted, her voice growing somewhat hysterical. "You hear them too, so you know I'm not crazy, right!?"

"Whatever."

He was _not_ going into this. He already got a headache because he would be the one in charged of her training, no need to worsen it with her questions.

 _Plus, it's not like she'll last long anyway. Loosing control on the first day like that… Brain won't keep her for much longer if she keeps that pace._

He glanced back at Kaelys, who was now talking quietly to Cubellios. She seemed more at ease with the snake than himself or the others, that was for sure.

 _Guess there's more to her than a broken soul, uh? Sheesh, what a pain._

* * *

 **Erza is currently 19 –physically-. So, I give Jellal 21 –physically, he would be 28 with the Seven Year Gap-. That would mean, since the Oración Seis members left the tower around Erza's age at that time –I'd say seven/eight years or so, they are more or less the same age as her. I guess nine or ten years passed between Erza's escape. However, going back to a year before the canon story, that would mean they're currently somewhere around 17-18-19 years old. The ages set in this story at this moment are these:**

 **Cobra – 18**

 **Midnight – 18**

 **Angel – 17**

 **Racer – 18**

 **Hoteye – 20**

 **Just for the sake of it: Erza – 17**

 **And to make things clear: this is one year before canon.**

 **Later!**


	3. A Place To Belong To

"I'm not going to apologize for nearly killing you," announced bluntly Kaelys. "But I do apologize for losing control. It won't happen again."

As Angel and Kaelys walked down the street, the both of them hidden under heavy cloaks, the white-haired girl couldn't help but wonder once more about the scars lingering on the younger one's body, slightly annoyed at the lack of emotions from the teen.

Forgetting all about the apology, she decided to dare a step forward.

"The scars on your arms…" She couldn't stop herself. "Where do they come from?"

The black-haired mage looked at said arms for a second.

"Electroconvulsive therapy," she then answered.

The older girl scrunched her nose at the nasty name. "What's that?"

"They tied me to a chair before electrocuting me," described the teen, voice blank. "It hurts a lot. They thought it would help me. They thought it would send my friends away. But it didn't. In the end, it was plain torture. Funny how they couldn't make the difference, blinded by their oh-so-good intentions uh?"

No, Angel didn't find it funny at all. It was disgusting, horrifying. She however kept her mouth shut, her curiosity coming to a brutal halt.

"If you're not ready to take the answers," then mused the child. "Then don't ask the questions. You'll be better off."

* * *

.

.

"We're going to train you physically first," announced Cobra imperiously. "A strong body will help in controlling your magic. Plus, hand-to-hand combat skills are a good asset to have. You're starting with laps."

"How many?"

"Just run, I'll tell you when to stop."

She shot him a suspicious look, but obeyed nowadays. She didn't cared much about receiving orders, though, knowing it would only help her get stronger. So, not questioning, she started running.

* * *

.

.

Kaelys eyed the chessboard on the table with undisguised interest. Then, she grabbed it and placed it before Hoteye, who was counting his money once more.

"Do you know how to play?" she asked.

"Playing would mean loosing my time, time I could use to make more money," replied the man.

Instantly, the girl placed a few jewels –she had stolen them from Cobra's pouch with the help of Cubellios- on the table, gaining his attention.

"Play with me and it's yours," she assured.

"Deal," he instantly agreed.

Hoteye set the game as she took place before him. She picked white, therefore starting. He moved his piece after her, already having a strategy in mind. She placed her second piece on the game, and he instantly replied by taking her Pawn. At that, she smirked and moved her third piece.

"Checkmate."

"… uh?"

He looked back at the chessboard, wide eyes. It was as she said.

 _…_ _Interesting._

Normally, he would have simply went back to his money. However, his pride took a great blow during that exchange. To be so beaten in three moves by a barely-teenager girl wasn't something he took easily.

"Rematch!"

"Sure."

* * *

.

.

"So… I'm fighting Racer?"

"Gotta catch me first!"

The boy disappeared and reappeared on the other side of the clearing.

"You can't attack him directly," informed Cobra. "You're using telekinesis. Use your powers to move the rocks, the plants, the branches around."

"Alright."

Concentrating for a few seconds, she suddenly felt herself flying before hitting harshly a tree, having been kicked in the back.

"W- what the hell!?" she exclaimed, rubbing her head.

"Gotta be faster than that!" taunted Racer.

"Oh, I'll show you faster!"

* * *

.

.

"You're always wearing long sleeves," remarked Angel, eying the girl next to her. "Your clothes never reveal any skin. Even your neck is covered. Is it because of the scars?"

"What's it to her anyway?" huffed Kaelys, looking away.

"You're… you're ashamed of them, aren't you?" then realized the white-haired girl.

At that, the younger girl clenched her fists. In that moment, Angel truly thought she was going to be killed. However, it was simply the nearest glass that exploded. Then, letting out a shaky breath, Kaelys pulled up her sleeves and rolled down her collar.

All over her arms were the scars left by the electrical treatment Kaelys had mentioned before, she knew that now. However, looking closer, she could clearly see the clearer marks left by restraints all around her wrists. The same for her neck. And, she could also see some smaller scars in the inside of the wrists.

 _She cuts herself? But why…_

"I'm not ashamed of them," then admitted the girl. "I'm _scared_ of them. If I don't see them, then they're not real. I just want to forget about them, about what they mean."

"… what do they mean?" Angel was afraid to ask.

"That all of this was real," the girl's voice was barely a whisper now. "That if I don't get strong enough, if I stay as weak as I was before, then the results will be the same. I'm terrified to be brought back. I don't want to go back there. Wouldn't you be scared too?"

At that, Angel's heart clenched.

 _Yes, I am. I am terrified to go back._

But never would she have admitted this out loud.

* * *

.

.

Kaelys was moving the nearest objects she could find in a circle above their heads. They were waiting for Brain to announce a mission, which meant she was very bored by now. So, gathering glasses, utensils and even some chairs, she made them effectuate a cherry round five meters above the floor.

 **'** **BOO!'**

"Shit!"

Loosing her focus as the voice started cackling, all of the objects fell back on the floor or were sent flying about. The other members of Oración Seis easily avoided the projectiles, sending glares her way as she grinned sheepishly.

Well, all saved for one.

The chair hit Midnight square in the head, forcing him off his carpet and against the wall. They all stared in horror as he slowly got back to his feet like a zombie.

"Fuck, she woke him," cringed Cobra.

Instantly, they all backed farther away. The girl stayed in place, though, unperturbed by the boy's deadly aura.

"Who… are you?" he asked, tone void of emotion.

"Kaelys," she answered. "I'm the new member of Oración Seis. I joined while you were sleeping, though, so I guess you wouldn't know."

Silence stretched, and stretched, and stretched… until Midnight simply nodded and sat back on his floating carpet, before going to sleep again.

The other members gaped as the girl started playing with her powers once more.

 _What the hell!?_

* * *

.

.

Kaelys snapped her eyes open, terrified as hands gripped her wrists. She started kicking blindly, finding herself unable to scream due to the sheer fear she felt at that moment.

"It's me, damn it! Snap out of it!"

She stopped moving, the shadow above her now having a face.

"Cobra?" she recognized. "What's he doing here? It's the middle of the night…"

"You started screaming like a banshee," he grunted, annoyed. "You woke me up."

 _'_ _You were having a bad dream'_

 **'** **Ooh, PTSD. As if she wasn't crazy enough'**

"I'm not crazy," she gritted her teeth. "I'm sorry for waking you, Cobra."

"Tche."

He got up and headed for the door, when he realized that Cubellios, who had followed him, wasn't coming. Turning around, he saw the purple snake snuggling to the girl, who had fallen asleep once more, now calm. He wondered for a moment about why the hell she was sleeping in a sitting position, before remembering snippets of her dream.

 _Probably afraid to be tied up again,_ he understood. _Geez, they really messed her up, didn't they?_

In the end, he left Cubellios in her room.

* * *

.

.

"Checkmate."

Brain stared at her for a moment, the familiar glint of that mature personality of hers disappearing once more.

It happened each time they played a strategy game. She seemed to have two personality, but she could remember both of them as if they were one: the childlike one, and the adult-like one. The later usually surfaced when logic was needed, making her more calm and collected. These moments were also the only ones where she wasn't saying what she thought and where Cobra could actually read her thoughts and intentions.

It intrigued him. Her mind was so complexed, so volatile… and so fragile too. He'd have to mold his new tool carefully. If not, she might very well break between his hands.

* * *

.

.

"Ne, Cobra?"

"What is it?"

"You said you had more than one magic," recalled the girl, shifting in a more comfortable position. "Is it possible to learn more than one magic?"

"Depends," he shrugged, feeling gracious enough to indulge in her questions today. "My real magic is Sound Magic. However, I implanted a Dragon Lacrima in my eye, which made me the Poison Dragon Slayer."

"I see," she hummed. "And where can you get these Lacrimas?"

"You don't," he rolled his eyes. "If it was that easy to get your hand on these things, then everyone would."

She seemed disappointed at that.

She scratched the back of her head. "I need to be stronger, though…"

"… we've got a library here," he then informed, knowing that dealing with a depressed Kaelys wasn't exactly fun. "Just go check it out in your free time or something. You should be able to find another type of magic."

"That's a great idea!" she beamed at him. "Thanks."

"Whatever. Just get on with your laps."

* * *

.

.

"What exactly happened to you, Kae?"

At Racer's question, the girl placed down her book to look at him.

"Many things happened to me. You have to be more concise."

"To make you like… this," he gestured to her, struggling to find his words. "You've got those scars, and you keep talking about 'them', whoever they are, and your friends being taken away…"

She rubbed her eyes, already tired. In a way, she didn't feel like answering. She had nothing to hide, though, and she knew she'd have to talk one day or another.

"Two years ago, I was diagnosed with schizophrenia," she then said. "Which is stupid, since the voices are real. They thought I was ill, though, so my mother dumped me in an asylum to the 'good' care of a doctor. After a while, they realized that nothing changed and, instead of understanding that nothing was wrong with me, they stated that my case was 'worse than they thought'. They restrained me day and night, putting me through electroconvulsive therapy and injecting me with so much medicine I was practically a living medical pill, if you get what I mean. I've stayed trapped there for two years without any 'progress' before I managed to steal a scalpel. I freed myself and killed whoever was in my way. But it wasn't my fault, you know? They're the ones who made me this way. If they hadn't treated me that way, then they would still be alive, don't you think? But it doesn't matter. I ran as far as I could, never looking back. When I woke up, it was in a forest. You know, I think I actually come from another world, 'cause I didn't went into any forest after killing everyone. Weird, isn't it?"

"… what?"

"Thought so too." And she returned to her book.

The blond boy stared at her for a few seconds, before making up his mind and running out of there.

 _Definitely crazy. Am I glad I aren't on her bad side or what?_

* * *

.

.

"Ten more laps."

"Do you know where you can shove those stupid laps? Up your a—"

 _"_ _Now."_

* * *

.

.

Kaelys was watching the spar between Cobra and Angel with narrowed eyes. Both of their magic were strong, and the teen was extremely curious about the older girl's magic. However, how she treated those she named 'Spirits' didn't sit well with her.

In the end, Angel lost. She was angry as she left the clearing. Frowning, Kaelys followed after her. When she got to the older girl's room, it was only to find her whipping the ram Spirit.

 _'_ _Stop her!'_

 **'** **Now!'**

They didn't have to ask.

Stepping in, blood boiling, she roughly grabbed the whip and threw it aside, before shoving Angel against the wall, which cracked under the strength of the blow. Aries watched for a few seconds, eyes glinting with tears, before disappearing back into the Spirit Realm. Kaelys couldn't care less at the moment, though. She kept throwing Angel's body around like a broken doll, blood staining the walls, the floor, the furniture. After another minute, the door slammed open, letting enter the other members of Oración Seis and a surprisingly awake Midnight.

"What is the meaning of this?" the Reflector mage asked coldly.

The teen let go of Angel, who fell limply on the bed. The girl's purple eyes were blazing with so much disgust and hate, only their pride stopped them from taking a step back.

"I don't care about people dying," she seethed. "I don't care about the blood on my hands. However, I will _not_ condone torture. I'll take on anyone who says otherwise."

 **'** **But didn't you just torture Angel just now, hmmm?'**

Kaelys gritted her teeth, pushing through the boys to get to her own room.

Once there, she closed the door, and closed her eyes.

"It was necessary," she then said, gritting her teeth. "I will not be able to get by without violence, that much is certain. I am ready to torture if needed. There is no pleasure to take into it, though. Anyone saying otherwise is a monster."

 **'** **I thought you were a monster. Didn't you say so yourself?'**

 _'_ _That's enough of this!'_

"I _am_ a monster," agreed the girl, more quietly while going to sit on her bed. "But not that kind. Taking pleasure in other's pain… That's a line I will never cross. I _swear_ it."

* * *

.

.

 _'_ _Oh, that one's interesting'_

 **'** **For once, I agree. Check it out'**

"You know, that's not such a bad idea." Kaelys marked her page. "Let's go ask Brain!"

Without loosing another second, she ran out of the library to go find Brain. She nearly ran into Hoteye but merely spared him a glance, too focused on her goal. After a few minutes, she barreled in the leader's office and ran into is desk, easily gaining his attention.

"What—"

"Let me learn this magic!"

He stilled for a second before glancing down at the open book presented to him. His eyes widened as he easily understood what magic she was talking about. He thought for a moment, before looking back at her.

"How much time would you need to achieve noticeable advancements?"

"A month or so, full time," she answered.

He pondered over it. The girl wasn't one to lie, he knew that well by now, and if she believed she could do it in a month…

"Very well. You have exactly a month to achieve results. Your training will be put on hold for that time. If you manage, then you will be allowed to pursue. However, should you fail, you are to forget about it and focus on your main magic for now. While learning a second magic can be useful, it also takes time—and time isn't a luxury we can afford as of now. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes!"

"Then get to it."

* * *

.

.

Kaelys was working on learning her second magic when Racer, bored as hell, came to bother her. She ignored him at best as she could managed but, not giving up, the blond boy took a pencil and poked her arm with it.

Bad move.

Her eyes widening in fright, she snapped the book shut as her mind suddenly crushed all the bones in his arm. He let out a pained wail, letting go of the pencil, which fell to the floor with a hollow sound. A few seconds passed in heavy silence, only broken by the whimpers of Racer and the ragged breath of the obviously terrified girl.

 _'_ _Snap out of it!'_

 **'** **Damn it, that was just a pencil! Overreacting much!?'**

She gaped, turning to look at Racer, and realized just what she had done. Horrified, she instantly put the bones back together in one go. It wasn't a fun experience, she knew, but it was better than one at a time.

"I'm sorry!" She sunk deeper into the couch. "I just reacted… I thought—I'm sorry."

"I- it's fine," he gritted his teeth, moving his now repaired arm around a little. "Should have known better, what with your… past experiences. Guess I wasn't fast enough this time around, uh?"

At that, she allowed a small smile to grace her lips, glad he wasn't mad at her.

"Guess you weren't."

* * *

.

.

Cubellios resting next to her, the black-haired teen turned another page, wrote down a few notes, and passed to the next. A week had ended, and she was feeling all the hours spent on researching taking their toll on her. She was tired, but couldn't bring herself to stop.

"I want to learn more…" She turned yet another page. "The more I know, the stronger I'll be. And I need to be much, much stronger."

For only answer, Cubellios hissed softly.

* * *

.

.

That night, Cubellios wasn't with her. She had left with Cobra and Midnight on a mission, which meant Kaelys was alone. However, the nightmares weren't the only things troubling her sleep.

There was a storm. A really, really bad one.

Normally, she enjoys the rain. Watching it fall, feeling the drops rolling on her face… she liked the rain. She even liked the thunder, strong and loud.

What she didn't like was the lightning that came with it.

The dark sky trembled once more and a flash of light broke through the black clouds. For barely half a second, Kaelys found herself back at the asylum, tied to the chair as they sent electrical shocks through her whole body.

It was too much.

Her scars aching, her heart thumping wildly, the girl ran out of her room and dashed in the one across, which was Angel's. The white haired mage let out a terrified yelp when the younger girl suddenly jumped on her bed and was about to scold her thoroughly when she realized that the teen snuggling against her was shaking very badly.

"… are you scared of the storm?" Angel couldn't keep the incredulousness from her voice.

Kaelys shook her head in a negative gesture. At that moment, lightning stroke once more and the teen let out a pitiful whimper, hiding her face in the crook of Angel's neck. The older girl's eyes widened in realization.

"The lightning?"

The teen nodded weakly.

At that very moment, Angel found herself back home. It was before Oración Seis, before the Tower, when she lived happily with her family and all was right in the world. At that very moment, it wasn't Kaelys in her arms, but her little sister.

At that very moment, Angel found herself unable to look away like she had done so many times before with so many people.

"It's okay," she whispered, closing her arms around the girl's trembling form. "You can stay the night, if you want."

"… does she really means it?" wondered quietly the girl.

Thunder echoed, soon followed by another violent flash of light, sending the teen in another frenetic haze.

"They're not coming back," soothed Angel. "And even if they do, we won't let them take you away, okay? You're with us, now. We won't let you go. I promise."

 _'_ _I like her'_

 **'** **Guess we can agree again'**

"… Me too."

At that very moment, none would have been able to say if she answered to the voices, or to Angel's promise.

* * *

.

.

Kaelys was growing extremely frustrated. Only two weeks were left, and she was stuck. No matter what book she read, she just couldn't find the missing piece.

That made her _very_ angry.

She knew that she still didn't have very good control over her powers so, while she wanted to just go out and change her mind, she was afraid to snap and hurt one of the others by accident.

That only left one solution.

Grabbing her scalpel –it never left her side since she stole it from the nurse-, she sat in a corner of her room and, without any more ceremonies, slashed through her wrists. Blood sipped through the cuts that kept appearing over her already overly scarred skin, but Kaelys didn't care about that.

The physical pain took her mind away from her current troubles, and she didn't hurt others in the process. How good of an idea was that?

 _'_ _It's NOT!'_

 **'** **I don't know, she kind of has a point'**

For once, Kaelys didn't answer, simply staring a scarlet drop rolled from her wrist and tainted the floor, leaving a red trail in its course.

* * *

.

.

"You always check the water."

She jumped at the voice, turning around to see Midnight standing in the doorway, leaning against the wall with half-lidded eyes.

"Guess I do." She placed down the now empty glass. "They used to drug me a lot, so I can't help but check every time."

He didn't say anything more but slowly approached her with something akin to suspicion in his eyes. Then, before she could react, he grabbed one of her arms and rolled up the sleeves, revealing the fresh cuts that obviously dated from the day before, if not even earlier. Her face turned blank as he eyed the wounds with morbid curiosity and a tad touch of wonder.

"Why… do you do this…?"

"I don't want to hurt you guys," she shrugged. "So I hurt myself. They didn't seem to think it was a good idea, though, so they used to restrain me. That's kind of stupid, right? To know that if they hadn't done that in the first place, they might still be alive…"

"Who are _they_?"

"No idea," she shrugged. "Nurses, doctors, guards… Never cared to remember. In the end, no matter our differences, we all end up as corpses one day or another, so it doesn't really matter, does it?"

He let go of her arm and she rolled the sleeve back down. She hold his gaze, unflinching, before he offered a slight nod and walked away.

"You should bandage those," he simply said, before disappearing in the hallway.

She stared at the door by which he had left, somewhat confused.

"He didn't say it was bad… that I should stop…" she blinked, a little stunned. "That must be the first time. It's… nice. To see that someone understands."

 _'_ _I'm still saying it's not good for you'_

 **'** **You just heard her, didn't you? Understanding is better to help than downright saying she shouldn't do it'**

 _'_ _Oh, I understand alright. Doesn't mean I accept it'_

"Fair enough," Kaelys couldn't help but agree.

* * *

.

.

"Yes! I did it!" cheered the girl. "Ooh, gotta tell Brain! And I've still got three days left too! Am I awesome or what?"

 _'_ _Yes, you are'_

 **'** **Just get on with it'**

Giggling, she quickly made her way to Brain's office to show the results her almost-month-long work.

* * *

.

.

"You wantsme to what?"

"What? Don't think you're up to it?" challenged Cobra.

"That's not it," she waved her hand as if swatting a fly. "I just never thought about it, but it's actually brilliant. Let me try."

She had grown much more at ease with her telekinesis. Only extremely strong emotions could now make her loose control so it didn't actually happened since Angel's incident with her Spirit.

And now, to take things up a notch…

"Holy crap!"

Letting out a breathless laugh, she girl watched in awe as her feet left the ground. She wasn't flying per se, but close enough. Using her telekinesis to lift herself, she was now able, technically speaking, fly.

"This is freaking awesome!" she exclaimed, spinning on herself.

Down below, Cobra grinned madly, before sending Cubellios after the girl. Her eyes widened when she saw the snake sprouting wings and flying at her. She tried to run, before remembering she was currently floating midair. So, she decided to do her best Superman pose and flew faster to escape the fangs of the animal.

"Gah! Bad Cubellios, bad!" she barely avoided the snapping jaw near her leg.

"Get her, Cub!" cackled Cobra.

Annoyed, still trying to escape the snake, Kaelys sent a rock flying against his head.

* * *

.

.

All in all, nine months had passed since she joined Oración Seis. While she was still training, she knew she could only grow stronger from now on. Her body now able to take the full training imposed by Cobra, she was growing into a skilled fighter. She was slowly learning to integrate her scalpel in her fighting style, too, and hand-to-hand combat was actually quite fun to learn.

Well, minus the part where Cobra quite literally kicked her ass each and every time.

Her magic was coming along quite well, for not saying both of them. The second one was still developing, but she had a good grasp over it by now. Being Holder Magic, she had to have a tool to use it, but Brain was going to teach her some Requiping Magic so that she'd be able to summon her tool when she wanted to. And now? Now was the time to see if all this training and hard work truly served their purpose. Standing in Brain's office, facing the silver-haired man as the other members of the Dark Guild stood behind her –of course, Midnight was still sleeping-, she was awaiting her first mission.

First mission, and last one too if she failed.

Success would mean receiving the Guild Mark and officially joining Oración Seis. Failure meant her death, most likely by Brain's hand. She was fully aware of that, but she didn't care. If she failed, it meant she was still too weak, and she preferred dying with her loyalty to Brain intact.

Kaelys was a lot of things. Honest, obviously, but loyal too. Extremely so. She pledged her loyalty to Brain. Therefore, she would do anything he asked of her until he freed her of her oath or if him or herself died.

Disloyalty resumed to lying, and she wasn't one to lie.

"Kaelys."

She straightened her spine, ready.

"One of the subordinate Guilds is causing some trouble. They're attracting the Magic Council's attention, which we can't allow. You are to disband the Guild. If they refuse, then use force. However, keep the killing to a bare minimum. Most of them will more than probably end up joining another of our Guilds. Killing them would be a waste of man power."

"Understood. Time limit?"

"I give you three days. One for going, one for accomplishing the mission and one for coming back. Hoteye will follow you, but won't help in anyway unless he is convinced you will fail. You leave now."

"Yes!"

She darted out of the room.

* * *

.

.

Using her telekinesis, she lifted herself and Hoteye, before heading to the village in which Twilight Thorns was standing by. Using her powers that way, she should make it in half a day, but it would deplete her reserves considerably.

She would use the other half to spy on the Guild and gather as much information as possible while her magic reserves built back itself, put a warning in the evening and, if they hadn't disbanded by morning, she would forced them to.

"Keep killing to a bare minimum, he said," she muttered, wind whipping her face. "Guess it means I'm allowed to kill one or two, _if_ necessary."

* * *

.

.

Kaelys and Hoteye came back two days after receiving the mission. As thought, she had to use force to disband them. Many of them were mages, but only four or five of them actually knew what they were doing, and they weren't that strong. She only had to make three of them implode before the rest gave in and disbanded in the hour, herself promising them to come back and finish them if they tried to come together again.

She even proposed a bunch of Dark Guilds for them to join! She had been nice, awfully so. She hoped they knew that.

Twilight Thorns successfully taken care of, she came back with a satisfied smirk, Hoteye's eyes shining as he counted his money. She wanted to thank him for accompanying her, even though it was his own mission, so she kind of stole the Guild's money. Giving him half, she then went to give the rest to Brain.

When she presented it to him, though, he simply told her to keep it. She earned it with her successful mission, apparently.

And now…

"Purple, on my collarbone."

Angel apposed the Guild's mark in the place indicated, before pulling away. Kaelys gazed at the dark purple mark –the same as her eyes- now resting upon her pale skin. She was officially a part of Oración Seis, now.

"I finally belong somewhere…"

Only Cobra's enhanced hearing allowed him to hear her barely whispered words and, unable to help himself, a smirk twisted his lips.

 _Guess she does._

* * *

 **I know the members of Oración Seis might seem a little OOC. However, I believe their characters have never been fully exploited in the first place. And, I mean, they do end up being the good guys, so they can't be just utter sadists-hence why I decided to give them some humanity!**

 **Hope you liked it, I'll see you around!**


	4. The Mission Of Oración Seis

**Alright, so here comes chapter four! I'm happy that already a few people are following this story, and I hope you like it as much as the last three! Also, this chapter has a time-skip of a year, meaning Kaelys is now fourteen years old.**

 **Oh, and we're now in Canon. Enjoy! ;-)**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

All in all, a whole year had passed since Kaelys escaped the asylum. She wasn't stupid, so she had soon realized she wasn't in her world anymore. However, she didn't care. It only meant it would be more difficult for _them_ to get her back.

Plus, she was strong, now. She wouldn't be trapped again.

Ever.

.

.

They were all standing in Brain's office, their main mission put to an halt.

"Our search for Nirvana will soon be done" announced the leader. "But the legal Guilds are gathering to stop our advance. They are forming the Allied Forces, which will be composed of members from Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale, Fairy Tail and Cait Shelter. We already have information on all the mages who will form the team"

He placed down a stack of files on the desk.

"They shouldn't be much trouble but you are to read those files and find those you would fair best against. Truth, you know what to do"

"Hai"

Kaelys, or rather Truth, saluted with a lopsided grin, before grabbing a first file.

"Now, to find some interesting magic… ooh, wonder if they're going to be strong…"

* * *

.

.

"I can hear it…"

Cobra caressed Cubellios' head with a mad grin.

"The sound of the breaking of the light!"

"He's so overdramatic" Truth snorted.

The boy, now man, shot her a glare at that, and Angel and the teen exchanged a knowing look.

"Don't be so hasty, Cobra" then said Racer.

"Aa?"

"Well, being hasty ain't so bad" the blond took back his words.

"That magic we're talking about is hidden here, Racer" replied Cobra.

"A magic that will bring about darkness and break all light, yes!" nodded Hoteye.

"Nirvana…" added Angel.

There was a snore from Midnight, and Truth choked down a laugh.

Brain hit the ground with his staff.

"The legendary magic will finally be ours" he stated imperiously.

"Is this Nirvana magic really all it's cracked up to be?" wondered Racer.

"Behold!" their leader gestured to the forest extending at their feet. "The land has begun to die, just because Nirvana is nearby"

"It doesn't matter" shrugged Truth, now petting Cubellios' head. "All that matters is finding Nirvana and activating it. I do wonder, though. Will it shift our allegiances too? You know, good to bad and bad to good… wait, can we really call ourselves bad? I mean, there's much more shades than black and white in the world…"

Cobra swatted the back of her head, earning a hiss from the girl.

"Stop it!"

"It's too soon for your philosophical crap" he replied.

"Ooh, you can use big words now, uh?"

"Why you-"

"Enough" Brain intervened, cutting to the banter. "Nirvana will soon be in our hands, and the Allied Forces will rejoice soon. Don't waste anymore time"

"Hai!"

With that, they split up to start the search.

* * *

.

.

"They're coming" informed Cobra, listening. "Truth"

"On it"

She raised her eyes to the gigantic horse-boat-thingy flying in the sky. Thanks to Angel's Spirits, they knew all of the Allied Forces' plan, so they could easily make their move now.

Without wasting a second, she made Christina –that's what the machine was called- explode. The pieces flew all around as it crashed to the ground, fire and smoke rising from the remains. Then, she went to hide in the trees as the rest of their Guild came out of the flames.

"Talk about dramatic" she huffed a little.

She wasn't allowed to come out as of now, for they had been careful as to not let her existence be known in the past year. Along with Midnight and Brain, who wouldn't fight unless necessary, she was their greatest trump card.

"The maggots have swarmed" scoffed Brain.

"We saw through your plans" added Angel, the Gemini Spirits by her sides. "We already got Jura and Ichiya! How do you like that?"

"What!?" a white-haired boy with a coat exclaimed.

"Impossible!" added another one in a suit.

"Lyon from Lamia Scale, Hibiki from Blue Pegasus" recalled quietly Truth. "Lyon: potential target"

"You're trembling" smirked Cobra. "I can hear it"

"We should hurry up with our work" Racer pointed out. "But you're getting in our way"

"Money makes people stronger, yes!" added Hoteye. "Let me tell you something nice. Money is everything in this world and-"

"Hoteye, shut up!" grunted Cobra and Racer, while Truth muttered the same under her breath.

Midnight only snored louder at that, and a blonde girl sweatdropped.

"I think one of them is asleep…"

"Lucy from Fairy Tail" recognized Truth.

"I didn't expect them to show themselves to us" remarked a redhead in an armor.

"Erza from Fairy Tail: target"

"Oi" grinned a pink-haired boy.

"Yeah" grinned back a black-haired one.

"Natsu from Fairy Tail, Gray from Fairy Tail" the telekinesis mage shifted in place. "Natsu: target. Gray: potential target"

"Eh, I can hear you" Cobra's eyes took a mad glint.

At that, both of the boys ran at the whole group, ready to fight.

"Now we don't have to go find you!" they exclaimed.

"Do it" ordered simply Brain.

"Okay"

Racer disappeared and reappeared behind them. Before they could react, he harshly kicked them around, sending them flying opposite ways.

"Natsu! Gray!"

But Lucy had her own set of trouble, facing a clone of herself.

"Sherry!"

"Hai!"

Lyon and the pink-haired girl made their way to Hoteye, but he was waiting for them. Activating his powers, the ground under their feet became mud, and they started sinking.

"Even without love, as long as you have money, yes!"

"I've lived with him for a year and I still don't get that" Truth rubbed her temples.

The Trimens tried to make their move but Racer got rid of them so easily it was kind of pitiful. At that moment, the Titania tried to intervene, Requiping in a blade armor and taking on Cobra.

"Ba-a-a-a-ka" yawned Truth, growing tired of waiting.

She could have made them explode and be done with it, but Brain was extremely intent on her gathering as much magic as possible. And, what better than to take it from the strongest mages of each Guild?

 **'** **Still boring'**

 _'_ _Well, I find it interesting'_

"It's not so fun because we already know who's going to win" replied the black-haired girl.

And win they did, awfully fast and easily at that. With an heavy sigh, she watched as the battered bodies of the legal mages now lied on the ground, vanquished.

"Truth" then called forth Brain.

"Hai!"

Jumping from her tree, she instantly headed for the nearest one, Requiping a book in her hands.

"Gray Fullbuster" she crouched next to him. "Ice Make Magic"

She placed her hand on on forehead and his eyes widened, before he slumped to the ground as light emanated from the book. Satisfied, she then went to the pink-haired boy.

"Natsu Dragneel" she touched his forehead. "Fire Dragon Slaying Magic"

"Why you…"

Before he could add anything, he fell unconscious. Getting back to her feet, she then went to the redhead, who had been mortally injured by Cubellios. She glared as Truth kneeled next to her, but found herself unable to flee as the teen touched her forehead too.

"Erza Scarlet, Requiping Magic"

This one managed to stay conscious, which pleased Truth somewhat. Cobra seemed to have to the time of his life sooner while battling her.

"Wonder if I'll be able to fight her" Truth tilted her head. "Well, not with that injury of hers, that's for sure"

"W-what a-a-are you t-talk-king ab-about?" Erza couldn't move, though.

"Truth, move faster" drawled Racer.

"Hey, I'm taking a lot at once, be patient" grunted the girl, walking to her next target. "Sherry Blendy, Doll Attack Magic"

"S-Sherry!" Lyon exclaimed, horrified as his friend slumped to the ground.

"Eve Tearm, Snow Magic. Not that strong but whatever. And Ren Akatsuki, Air Magic. Then again, not that strong but still useful" she pursued, unperturbed. "Well, I'm done!"

She headed back to the rest of her Guild with a small smile, sending her book back. She would have to do a lot of training later, but she didn't mind. She was impatient to start, to be honest.

"W-what have you done to them!?" seethed Hibiki, struggling to get up. "W-who are you!?"

She turned to him, raising an eyebrow.

"Hibiki Lates, Archive Magic" she recalled, tilting her head. "You would have been a target if I didn't already possessed Archive Magic. As for your question, it is of no importance. After all, why answering walking corpses?"

"W-what!?"

"Trash" Brain, taking his cue, raised his staff. "You should all vanish form this Earth. Dark Rondo!"

Dark Magic started gathering at the end of the staff, the air trembling and heavy. Truth watched, somewhat envious. That had been a Magic she hadn't been allowed to copy, much to her chagrin. After all, it was incredulously strong.

However, before he could finish the mortal spell, his eyes widened and the magic energy dispersed.

"What's the matter, Brain?" inquired Racer.

"Why did you stop the spell?" added Cobra.

"Wendy… there is no mistaking it. You are Wendy, the Maiden of the Sky!"

Instantly, the little girl let out a whimper while hiding behind the giant rock. Truth shot a look at Brain. That Wendy hadn't been in the files, so she must have been the unknown member of Cait Shelter.

"I didn't expect to encounter you here" remarked Brain. "It looks like we picked up a nice present. Come!"

He grabbed the little girl with his magic and brought her to them. Truth watched in wonder as two cats, a white and a blue one, started running after her while screaming.

"Since when can cats talk?" she wondered quietly.

"W-what the hell do you think you're doing!?" Natsu, who had woken up meantime, tried to get back to his feet.

"Money is the great equalizer, yes!"

"What is that even supposed to mean?" the girl asked Cobra as the older man used his magic to trap the legal mages.

"No idea"

"WENDY!"

The girl had just disappeared in Brain's portal, along with the blue cat.

"I have no more need for you worms. Dark Rondo!"

But before he could crush any of them, none other than Jura stepped in.

"Rockiron Wall!"

Using the momentum, Oración Seis was gone in a flash.

* * *

.

.

"They're even more powerful than the data we collected on them suggested"

They were all understanding how outmatched and unprepared they had been. And now, they had lost Wendy too.

"And Christina has been destroyed, too" remarked Sherry.

"Yes. That woman who can peer into your heart said that they knew everything about our plans" nodded Jura.

"W-what about the people that were on board?" frowned Lucy, worried.

"You don't have to worry about that" assured Hibiki with a slight smile.

"Christina was heading to its destination by remote control" precised Eve.

"After we found their base, we were supposed to board it, however…"

"I'm glad, then" sighed Lucy, relieved.

"I am also glad you remained safe, Jura-san" added Lyon. "But I do worry about their new addition. Who was that girl? She wasn't in the data at all!"

"It felt weird" Gray frowned, looking down at his fist. "For a moment, it felt as if she was draining me from all my magic. But now, I'm totally fine. Well, as fine as I can be after that beat down"

"Same" agreed Sherry, Eve and Ren.

"And they kidnapped Wendy and Happy too! Damn those bastards…" cursed Natsu. "We'll get them! We won't loose again!"

* * *

.

.

"Ooh, I can't wait to get started!" grinned Truth, checking the newest pages of her book. "I've got some _really_ strong magic too"

"Strong?" scoffed Cobra. "They were awfully weak"

"Magic's strength depends on its wielder's" replied the girl. "And I think we can all agree that _I_ am far from weak"

"Still can't beat me" retorted the maroon-haired boy.

"Yeah? Well Cubellios likes me better" she pulled her tongue at him.

He seemed outraged at that notion but, as if to prove the teen's words, the purple snake went and wrapped herself around the girl's shoulders and body, making her laugh as Cobra gaped.

"What the hell, Cub!?"

"Quiet" ordered Brain, not even looking at them.

Cobra grunted, before swatting the girl's head. She glared at him, cracking his bones in answer. He bared his teeth at her, and Racer appeared between the two of them.

"You'll have enough time to fight later" he said. "Let's hurry back for now"

"Tche"

"Whatever. I prefer Angel anyway" as if to prove her point, she went to stand beside the white-haired mage.

"There is no love, only money!" chided Hoteye.

"Shut up, Hoteye!" they all replied as one.

Midnight kept on snoring.

* * *

.

.

When they arrived to the cave that they were using for their current base of operation, Brain released Wendy and the blue cat.

"Don't be violent!" scolded the cat as the girl rubbed her sore arm. "She's just a little girl!"

"Happy…"

Annoyed, Brain picked him up by the head, before sending him crash on the floor. However, before he could hit, the fall was stopped by Truth, who glared at Brain while using her telekinesis to bring the cat in her arms.

"He's just a cute kitty" she huffed. "Don't be so mean"

"D-don't worry, Wendy! I'll get you out of here!" he assured. "W-when I get free myself, I promise!"

Giggling, Truth petted Happy's head before gently sending him back to the girl, who hugged him tightly.

"Brain, who is this girl?" asked Racer, lying against a wall.

"She has something to do with Nirvana?" added Cobra.

"Doesn't look like it to me" remarked Angel.

"I see! We'll sell her for money, yes?" proposed Hoteye.

"Is that all you ever think about!?" the maroon-haired boy sweatdropped.

"As long as you have money, you can even buy love" retorted the tall man.

"I don't think it works that way" Truth shook her head.

"She can use Sky Magic" then answered Brain. "In other words, Healing Magic"

"Healing Magic?"

"A Lost Magic…"

"An ancient magic that was thought to be forgotten…"

"Oh, right. The poison. The poison for Kuzco. The poison chosen especially to kill Kuzco. Kuzco's poison" mumbled Truth under her breath.

Cobra shot her a very unique look, but she ignored him.

"Ooh, this smells like money to me!" giggled Hoteye.

"This little girl?" scoffed Cobra, looking at her closer. Then, his eyes widened. "Impossible!"

"Exactly" grinned Brain. "We will resurrect him!"

"Resurrect who!?" replied Happy.

"I-I don't really know, but I'm not going to help bad people!" assured Wendy.

"Oh, you will" retorted Brain. "You will indeed. You will resurrect him for us. Racer, bring him here"

"That's a long way" remarked Racer. "It'll take even me an hour"

"No matter. I would have sent Truth, but seeing how she copied so many Magics not so long ago, she'll have some trouble controlling hers for a while"

"Ugh, don't mention it" sighed Truth in annoyance.

"I see" Cobra nodded in appreciation. "If we resurrect _him_ , Nirvana is as good as found. Is that what you're thinking, Brain?"

"Cobra, Hoteye, Angel… continue to search for Nirvana"

"But if we resurrect him, then that won't be necessary" Angel pointed out.

"I asked you a question!" Happy's bravado was wavering, though. "Who are you trying to revive!?"

But they kept on ignoring him.

"Midnight, Truth and I will be remaining here to keep watch and to allow Truth some more time to settle her magic" concluded Brain.

"Doesn't look like Mid's going to do anything, though" Truth snorted at Hoteye's remark.

"You want me to wake him, then?" she proposed.

At that, the man quickly shook his head in a negative gesture, making her outright laugh.

"You really are the only one with Brain who can wake him up without risking to get killed" huffed Angel. "But I guess we'll be off, then. I know, let's race! The first one to find Nirvana-"

"Gets one million jewels, yes!" instantly jumped in Hoteye.

"A million? That's a lot" sweatdropped the white-haired girl.

"W-what kind of magic is Nirvana?" then asked Wendy.

At her question, a crazy glint shone in the leader's eyes as the members of Oración Seis, saved for Midnight, Truth and himself, left.

"Magic that switches Light for Darkness" he finally answered.

"Light and Darkness?" repeated Wendy.

"I don't get it at all" Happy scratched the back of his head.

"I don't really understand either, to be honest" Truth sighed heavily, plopping down next to them without a care in the world.

They recoiled at her sudden proximity, Happy bravely stepping between the two girls. She blinked, surprised.

"They're scared of me…" she thought out loud. "Is it just because I'm part of Oración Seis? Well, guess it mustn't exactly be reassuring for them either…"

"She's completely bonkers" whimpered Happy.

"I'm not crazy!" the girl's aloof attitude snapped to a tensed one. "Take it back!"

"Y-you're' not crazy! Waa, I'm sorry! Don't eat me!" wailed Happy.

"Eat you?" repeated the girl, confusion replacing the coldness. "Ah, you're funny! So, your names are Wendy and Happy, right? I'm Kaelys, but everyone calls me Truth, even though I don't really get why we need codenames and all-"

"Don't go blabbering too much, Truth" Brain warned, narrowing his eyes.

"Hey, I might be unable to lie, but I know how to keep my mouth shut, you know?" she huffed, shaking her head. "So distrusting… ne, how old are you? I'm fourteen!"

"T-twelve…" the girl relented.

While she was scared –for not saying terrified- of the Oración Seis members, that girl seemed the less dangerous of the bunch.

 _But then again, she seemed to have copied the others' Magics, though I don't really understand how…_

"W-what do you mean that you're unable to lie?" the little girl couldn't help herself.

"Wendy, don't talk to her! She's Oración Seis!" protested Happy.

"It means exactly that" shrugged the purple-eyed teen. "I don't lie because I don't see the point, and because I physically can't do it. Weird, uh? Ne, ne, Wendy! You said you wouldn't help us because we're bad people, right? Why are you saying we're bad, though?"

At the question, the Sky Dragon Slayer's eyes widened

"I… I…"

"Come on, you can tell me! I won't get mad, promise!" assured the girl.

"Y-you hurt the others" Wendy looked away. "Y-you kidnapped me… you're a Dark Guild… you're searching for what seemed to be forbidden magic… you killed people, didn't you? Only bad people do that!"

"Oh, yeah" Truth blinked. "I did kill people. Loads of them, to be honest. Sometimes, I've got so much blood on me that I can't tell the difference between it and my skin!"

Tears swelled in Wendy's eyes as she listened, horrified.

"The first people I killed were those who kept me in captivity" pursued the black-haired girl, unbothered by the horror on the child's face. "They tortured me for two years. And when I escaped, I was captured by slavers. That's when my Magic awoken, too. I made their heads go BOOM! Isn't that funny? They thought they could sell me but in the end, I killed them before they could kill me! Ironic, isn't it?"

"It's horrible" whispered the blue-haired Dragon Slayer.

"Am I still a bad person?" insisted Truth, tilting her head. "I killed many, many people. But in the end, it was them, or me. Can you really blame me for being so selfish? I won't deny being a monster, but does that really makes me a bad person?"

"Truth, this is enough" Brain intervened. "While you're at it, would you be able to copy her's too?"

"Uh? I guess I could… I'll have to rest even more, though"

"Do it"

"Hai, hai!"

Getting on her feet, she Requiped her book before turning to Wendy, who was struggling to keep her tears from falling.

"Stay away from her!" Happy blocked her path.

"Sorry, no can do" Truth smiled to him.

Using her telekinesis, she levitated the cat away and crouched next to Wendy.

"It won't hurt, don't worry" beamed the girl.

Before Wendy could back away, the black-haired mage placed a finger on her forehead. Her eyes rolled in their sockets and she fell unconscious as the book shone once more, another page adding to the girl's collection.

Satisfied, she then put both the child and the cat down, Requiping her book away.

"Wendy!" exclaimed Happy, running to the girl's limp body. "What have you done to her!?"

"I copied her Magic in my book" answered Truth, sitting down again. "It's Thief Magic, a Lost Magic I have learned to use many months ago. It allows me to copy the Magic of any mage I had physical contact with and use the stolen Magic afterwards as my own. Each new spell used by the one I stole the Magic from will be added to my arsenal, and can't ever be erased unless I do it myself"

"But-"

"Truth, say no more" ordered Brain. "You never know what can happen with that information. Just get some rest to allow your Ethernano to stabilize"

"Right"

Without another word, she went to Midnight and, without much more ceremonies, plopped down on the carpet next to him. He didn't even stir from his slumber, too used to her invading his sleeping pace by now to wake up. Then, leaning against the wall, she closed her eyes and let herself go to sleep.

* * *

.

.

There was a sudden surge of magic and, next thing Truth knew, she was awake and a newly resurrected blue-haired boy/man stood in front of Wendy and Brain.

"Did I miss something or what?" she stretched a little, feeling better. "Hey, isn't that the guy I was sent to retrieve a few months ago?"

"J-Jellal!"

At the voice, she turned to see Natsu standing at the entry of the cave, staring at the blue-haired mage with dumbfound horror.

"I'm sorry…" sobbed Wendy, kneeling on the ground. "I'm… sorry… so sorry… this person saved my life…"

"Wendy! You used your Healing Magic?" exclaimed the white haired cat. "What were you thinking? If you use that power recklessly- Wendy!"

As if on cue, the little girl slumped to the ground, exhausted. Jellal glanced at her unmoving form, face blank.

"Why are you here?" snarled Natsu, his fist flaming. "Jellal!"

Not caring about the three other members of Oración Seis, the pink-haired boy ran to the resurrected mage, fist blazing with fire. Raising his hand, Jellal sent him away with a blast of magic as if not even trying.

"Natsu!"

"Tremendous magical power as always, I see" remarked Brain, going to stand besides Jellal.

The boy snapped his head to the leader of the Dark Guild, and sent him flying away without another care in the world.

Instantly, Truth jumped on her feet, her eyes loosing their usual aloofness.

"What do you think you're doing?" she inquired quietly.

He looked at her, raising his hand. Before he could summon his magic again, she grabbed his hand.

"Jellal Fernandes, Heavenly Body Magic"

He flinched from the sudden drain of power as she gasped in pain, pulling away.

"I copied too much…" she muttered. "His Magic is too strong. I have to make some place"

Requiping her book, she instantly got rid of Air Magic, Doll Magic and Snow Magic, their pages covering with Jellal's powers. Using her momentum, the blue-haired boy sent her crashing against the nearest wall, before heading outside without another glance behind.

* * *

Truth could only watch as Natsu, Happy, the white cat known as Carla and Wendy left too. Soon after, the ground exploded, revealing Brain.

"That… did not go as planned" he sighed heavily. "Well, it is my mistake for releasing him from his restraints. He's never been hostile towards me before, though. Could he have overheard the discussions about Nirvana, even as he was sleeping?"

"For all we know, he might be intending on taking Nirvana for himself" replied Truth, lifting him from the hole in which he was trapped.

The leader's eyes widened in understanding at her words.

"Damn that bastard… I will not allow it! It is ours! We will not hand it to anyone! Cobra! Can you hear me!? Jellal has escaped, go after him! Nirvana should be where he is heading!"

Knowing he heard him, Brain then turned to his youngest recruit, who sported pained frown.

"I copied his Magic, but it's too much at once" she scrunched her nose. "Fighting will be a pain"

 **'** **That's an euphemism'**

 _'_ _Are you sure you can handle it?'_

"Not like I have much of a choice anyway"

* * *

 **Alright people, so you now know what's Kaelys's second Magic! If any of you are still unsure about Thief Magic, don't hesitate to ask, though remember that some details will be clarified in a later chapter.**

 **Good? Bad? I'm looking forward to you reviews!**


	5. Chaos On Nirvana

**Hey everyone! I'm so happy about all of the reviews I've received for the last chapter -it might not seem much to others, but it really means a lot to me!-, and I really couldn't wait to post the new one! Of course, I held my word and wrote another before posting this one. A special thanks to Fish57 for your constructive review, and I also want to reassure everyone: there are MANY limits/rules to follow and obey so as to use properly Thief Magic, so it seriously shouldn't be OP.**

 **Anyhow, hope you'll like this one! After all, Kaelys's mission is revealed!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

"Argh!"

"Brain!"

The man leaned over Truth, nearly collapsing as one of the tribal lines covering his face disappeared into nothingness.

"Racer… is gone?" he murmured under his breath.

 _"_ _What!?"_

"One pillar of the Six Generals has broken…" he pursued, dazed.

"What do you mean? What happened?" she pressed, growing more agitated.

"I underestimated our enemy!"

He got back to his feet, turning to Midnight, who was still sleeping.

"I never thought we would have to wake him up… Truth?"

"S-sure. Oi, Midnight! Come on, time to go kick some asses!" she shook the boy awake.

His red eyes snapped open and he slowly got to his feet. Kaelys still was confused as to what Brain could have meant, but decided to put it aside for the moment. After all, it's not like any of the weeklings they faced earlier could have beaten Racer.

"Morning sunshine!" she greeted cheerfully.

He stared for a second, before letting out a sigh and placing his hand over her head in was could be apparented to a affection. Then, pulling away, he faced Brain.

"Get rid of every last one of them" the leader simply ordered.

"Yes, Father"

There was suddenly an enormous flash of light, blinding the three members of Oración Seis for a few seconds.

 _'_ _Could it be…'_

 **'** **Of course it is, what else could it be?'**

"Nirvana" the words escaped her mouth as a tower of dark light and obscure magic elevated until it reached the sky.

"T-there is no mistaking it…" muttered Brain, a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead.

"Congratulations, Father" Midnight's lips twisted in a small smirk. "Those Guild wizards will all be wiped out… before midnight"

"I can't tell if this was a way of saying, or just a really bad pun" mumbled Truth.

If Midnight had been able of showing emotions, she was certain he would have rolled his eyes at her. Instead, he settled for poking her forehead, before turning back to Brain.

"Father, you head toward that light with Truth" he then said. "Nirvana is ours"

"… yes. Yes, it is"

* * *

.

.

Brain stiffened, another tribal tatoo disappearing. They hadn't left the cave yet, waiting for the main body of Nirvana to activate before setting out, but time seemed to be running out.

"Who was it?" Truth frowned, starting to have a grasp on how the markings worked.

"A-Angel has fallen too…"

The girl stilled at that.

"That's… not right. Angel was strong, very much so. The only way for her to loose would have been that she lost her keys, or they turned against her… she can't be…"

Her throat tightened at that, the idea of the white-haired mage dying numbing her senses. Her Magic roared inside of her very being, shaking her core, and one of the closest rock exploded.

"Racer... Angel..."

Brain placed his hand over her head, snapping her out of her dark thoughts.

"These scums will pay for the lives of our comrades, but now is not the time" he warned. "You need to regulate your magic power as fast as possible. Now come! Nirvana is awaiting us"

"… hai"

 _'_ _Angel… Racer…'_

 **'** **Make those petty mages pay'**

"Oh, I will"

* * *

Soon, the sky took a darker shade as the sun slowly settled down, tainting the clouds in flames, pierced by the tower of light growing in power each passing second. Brain and Truth finally reached Nirvana, only to find Cobra and Cubellios staring at a barely conscious Jellal and a certain redhead, who had somehow been revived from the snake's poison.

Brain hit the ground with his staff, drawing their attention.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"Brain" Cobra spun around to face them. "Truth"

"A self-destruction magic circle" informed Truth, staring at said circle, which was covering Nirvana.

"Jellal constructed it, that bastard!" seethed Cobra. "This is bad! At this rate, we'll have finally found Nirvana only to see it destroyed!"

But Brain didn't seem bothered by it, his lips stretching in a smirk.

"Fear not, Cobra. I'm sure you know just why I have the codename 'Brain', do you not?"

He started advancing towards the three and the light tower, Truth just behind.

"I was once a member of the Ministry of Magical Development. During that time, I used my knowledge to create hundreds of new spells. One of them is the self-destruction magic circle. And" Brain finally reached Nirvana while Truth went to stand besides the maroon-haired Drago Slayer. "I was the one who taught you it. Or have you forgotten, Jellal?"

"I have no idea what's going on, but whatever" mumbled Truth, plopping down with Cubellios on her knees. "There's another circle on his body, though. He must be planning on taking the cancellation code to the grave or something"

"If you don't know what that circle is, how do you know about the cancellation code?" Cobra couldn't help but ask, unable to hear her thoughts as always.

"Logic" she shrugged. "There's always a key to the lock, always a way to cancel what has been done. Well, materially speaking, at least. You can't exactly bring back the dead or something like that"

He hummed, before looking back to Brain.

"It seems his memories are screwed up thanks to the effects of Ethernano. Basically speaking, he doesn't understand he's a bad guy" he informed.

That made Truth snort and Brain laughed.

"What? Hilarious!"

Erza gritted her teeth at that, but Brain paid no mind to her and approached even more Nirvana.

"Even without the cancellation code, I can nullify the magic circle itself, you see" he assured.

He raised his hand, magic emanating around the circle, which soon started to disappear. Erza's eyes narrowed, Jellal letting out a gasp as Cobra echoed in a victorious cackle.

"To say he doesn't want me to copy that…" huffed Truth, crossing her arms with a pout. "I'd be awfully strong"

 _'_ _That's exactly why he won't let you copy him'_

 **'** **He's too scared that you'll overpower him, how rich is that!?'**

"How pitiful, Jellal!" then exclaimed the silver-haired man. "Nirvana is now mine!"

"Never!" Erza, Requiping a sword, ran at him with all her might.

"Awaken, Nirvana!"

The ground started shaking, Erza lost her balance as Jellal struggled to get back up. The rock under their feet broke, pieces elevating at different heights. Cubellios hissed softly before going back to Cobra, while Truth jumped to join Brain's side.

"I can hear it!" Cobra's voice took an insane taint. "Our future! The sound of the extinction of the light!"

"Drama queen" grunted Truth, deflecting an heavy rock falling upon them.

"Rise, Nirvana!"

So Nirvana rose.

* * *

.

.

The black-haired girl gazed around in awe. They were standing on top of Nirvana, everything having stop moving barely a few seconds sooner.

"So this is Nirvana…" she muttered, eying the buildings all around them.

From what she could see, it was a gigantic city supported by six even more gigantic pillars, or legs, or whatever people would call them.

"Finally! Finally, it is mine!" yelled a triumphal Brain, extending his arms in victory. "The ultimate weapon that will destroy the light, the ultra-inversion magic, Nirvana! The greatest weapons of the official Guilds, their unity and trust… have now become powerless before me!"

"Why do all villains feel the need to monologue? It's a ridiculous habit" scoffed Truth.

Cobra swatted the back of her head and she sent him against a pillar, instantly drawing Brain's attention.

"Do not use even an _ounce_ of your magic, Truth" he warned, narrowing his eyes. "Your mission is the most important and demanding of all, you will need all the power you can get"

"Oops, my bad" she grinned sheepishly.

"Still, finally! We have Nirvana…" Cobra got up, rubbing his palm against the pillar he had just hit. "A relic of the ancient, uh? Cubellios, this is pretty awesome… and don't deny it, Loudmouth, you're amazed too"

"Oh, I won't deny it alright" she shook her head. "It's pretty neat. Too bad I can't explore…"

"Cobra, Truth" Brain called. "Look at the world spread out below me. The city of the ancients… that itself is the true identity of Nirvana! While I stand here on the King's Summit, this city moves exactly as I will it!"

"Move?" the poison mage tilted his head. "Are we making it go somewhere?"

"Obviously" Truth rolled her eyes. "We're going to destroy all the light Guilds, one in particular…"

"Our first target?" grinned Cobra.

"First of many" she grinned back.

They exchanged a high-five at that and Brain activated his magic.

"Go forth, ancient city!" he ordered. "Change our darkness for the light!"

But as what seemed to be the command boards popped from the floor, there was a glint in the sky. Before any of them could react, none other than Natsu flew at them, spouting fire and deactivating Brain's spell.

"I'll stop you!" he assured, lifted by Happy. "Fire Dragon's Roar!"

The girl hid behind her leader as he activated his shield, remembering his warning about not using her magic. She narrowed her eyes at the strength of the attack of the boy's attack, though.

"Cobra! Don't let him interfere!"

"Right! Cubellios!"

The purple snake hit Natsu, sending him farther, but it wasn't enough.

"You… I'll burn everything!"

But Cobra got to him before he could cast another attack, repelling the boy even farther away. Then, Cubellios sprouted her wings, her master and friend standing on her back so as to face their opponent on equal grounds.

 _'_ _That's why I don't like snakes'_

 **'** **Shut it, this is fricking awesome'**

"Of course she is" replied smugly Truth. "You go, girl! Beat him up! ... and you too I guess, Cobra"

"Gee, thanks!" he called back, before going back to his beginning battle.

"Truth, you will have to act soon" informed Brain, his eyes never leaving the two above. "Start gathering your Ethernano"

"Shoot, I wanted to watch the battle" she sighed, sitting down. "Well, guess it can't be helped. Cobra will win anyway, though. Well, I hope. Racer and Angel did loose their battles, and Hoteye is nowhere to be seen, but then again so is Midnight so-"

"Truth"

"Oops, on it"

She straightened her back, crossed her legs and placed her hands on her knees, closing her eyes in the process. Calming her breath and blocking out the sounds and interferences from around, she soon entered a trance-like state. She wasn't worried about getting hit or anything, knowing Brain would cover her.

Truth wasn't a fool. She knew since day one she was just a tool and that he would only protect her because she was the key to his plan but, as said countless times before, she was okay with it. The deal offered her strength and, dare she say, friends. In exchanged, she offered her utmost loyalty. It was a good bargain, so she didn't really cared about the rest.

With that in mind, she fully closed herself from the outside world.

* * *

Truth snapped her eyes open as some sort of roar broke her concentration. Looking around, she mildly realized it was full night by now, before running to Brain's side. His eyes were wide open, staring at the city below them as Cobra crashed to the ground, vanquished.

"C-Cobra!" Truth started shaking.

"Impossible… Defeating Cobra with nothing but a scream?" gaped Brain. "What in the world is that boy?"

One of the pillar flew in pieces as Truth's fists clenched tightly.

"First Racer… than Angel… and now Cobra…" she gritted her teeth. "Fairy scum, hurting my friends…"

But Cobra got back to his feet as Natsu dropped next to him, now unable to move due to the poison in his veins. The Second Generation Dragon Slayer was about to strike the final blow when…

"What… the hell…"

Brain, now down there, had attacked Cobra from behind, nullifying the mage's attack and sending him to his knees. Still on top of the tower, Truth was having a hard time seeing what exactly was going on.

"That's enough, Cobra"

"B-Brain!? What are you-"

"You did well. Rest in peace" grinned the silver-haired man.

There was a moment of silence as Cobra suddenly stiffened. Truth, ignoring her previous orders, flew down to join them and clear things up, worried.

"Oops, did you hear that?" chuckled darkly their leader as she landed, obviously mocking his previous General.

"Damn you…" at the tears in Cobra's eyes, Truth's steps faltered.

"He never cried before… What has he heard?" she mumbled. "What's going on?"

She took a step forward.

And another.

"My prayer…" muttered Cobra, a sob in his voice. "Was only to hear… my first's friend's voice… Cubellios…"

His body hit the ground, raising some dust as the purple snake leaned protectively over him.

"Cobra!"

The black-haired girl, distraught, tried to join his side. She was however stopped by Brain's staff as Natsu got back up, trembling.

"Why?" he asked, eyes blazing. "Weren't you… his ally?"

"Ally? I can gather as many as I wish shortly" retorted the leader. "Using Nirvana's and Truth's powers, that is"

"What are you doing, Brain!?" the girl practically screeched, her body shaking. "Cobra-"

"Has failed. He is of no use anymore. Do not forget your own purpose, Truth" Brain shot her a dark look. "If I took you in a year ago, it was merely because of the possibilities your potential offered, you know that better than anyone else. Do not forget your place, _tool"_

She tried to snap back an answer, but found herself unable to do so. On one side, those she came to consider her friends were falling one after the other. She knew they mustn't be feeling the same way for her, but they were all she had in this new world, the ones who were there for her when she needed them the most...

"Am I ready to abandon them… just like everyone abandoned me before?" she grip her head, growing confused and angry at the same time.

 _'_ _Kaelys…'_

 **'What-'**

"My name is Truth!" she snapped, closing her eyes. "I pledged my loyalty to Brain, to Oración Seis! I will not turn my back to them! A tool… does not betray its master…"

"What the hell are you blabbering about!?" Natsu sneered her way. "A tool? Give me a break! People aren't tools!"

"Now, now, don't get testy" replied smugly the silver-haired man, obviously satisfied with the girl's loyalty. "I have taken an interest in your power. I suspect you know what I mean by that… I will make you my first puppet slave!"

Apparently out of strength, Natsu fell back to the ground before he could answer, drained of all energy. Brain grabbed the boy's scarf, before dragging him away, gesturing for Truth to follow.

She didn't look back to Cobra and Cubellios, this time not because she didn't care, but because she found herself unable to do so.

* * *

.

.

"There he is!"

"Natsu!"

Not even a minute later, three of the legal mages came from one of the streets, stopping a few meters away.

"Lucy Heartfilia, Celestial Magic" she muttered. "Gray Fullbuster, Ice Make Magic, copied. Jura Neekis, Earth Magic"

"What happened!?" exclaimed the blonde girl, worry in her eyes.

"It's 'cause it's transportation" the pink-haired boy seemed ready to throw up.

"Guys…" wailed Happy, lying in between the two trios.

"Cat-dono, you are also unharmed?" inquired Jura.

"Cat-dono?" sweatdropped the other two.

"Save… Natsu…" pleaded the Exceed. "He's being taken away…"

"Half of the Six Generals are finished" stated Brain. "Theirs stars have fallen. Starting now, I will create a new set of Generals, including this one"

He nodded at Natsu, whom he was still holding to.

Gray tsked.

"I figured this would happen eventually. Finally getting scouted by a Dark Guild, uh?"

"Natsu isn't gonna do what you say!" added Lucy.

"Nirvana will soak this boy's heart in darkness, and he will become nothing but my loyal servant, just like this one" retorted Brain, gesturing to Truth.

She kept a blank face as all glanced at her for a moment.

"Hell no, I won't!" Natsu then bit Brain's arm.

"You still have that much strength left!?" the leader shoved him to the ground.

This time, shaken by his motion sickness, Natsu couldn't get back up.

"He does not seem well" remarked Jura.

"He gets extreme motion sickness" sighed Gray.

"Hurry up… and beat… this guy…" Natsu whimpered. "Stop… this thing…"

"I'm not doing it for you, but sure" replied the black-haired boy.

"Stop?" repeated Brain, gathering his magic. "Nirvana? Not even possible. This city will shortly reach its first destination. We will arrive… at Cait Shelter"

"T-that's Wendy and Carla's Guild! But why?" Happy asked what everyone else was thinking in that moment.

Brain's smirk merely widened, and Truth shook her head, growing annoyed.

"Tell us your purpose" demanded Jura. "Why do you aim for Wendy-dono's Guild?"

"This ultra-inversion magic can change a Guild of light into one of darkness in an instant. I can't wait. I suspect you'll see true hell!"

"We can't let this guy off!"

"This bastard is getting to me"

All stiffened as Jura's aura suddenly increased tremendously.

"Did you not hear me?" he asked, his tone promising pain. "Tell us your purpose!"

"Of fucking course we'll tell him, why not? It's not like it could help them stop us or anything of the sort" grunted Truth.

But Brain simply laughed.

"I have no words for pitiful weaklings like you!" he exclaimed. "I will become the judge ruling over light and darkness! Bow down before me!"

He kept on laughing before raising his staff as the Wizard Saint stood strong before him.

"Begone, worms!" he yelled, sending a blast of magic.

But the attack was blocked, sending the silver-haired man crashing away. Truth's purple orbs widened as she managed to deflect the blow coming for her, barely in time.

"I can't fight, not now" she mumbled, now wary. "I have to carry on my mission…"

"W-what is this power?" Brain's forehead was covered in sweat.

"Stand" ordered the Earth Mage. "I will not let you rest until you say why you are targeting Cait Shelter"

The leader of Oración Seis was frozen in place and Truth ran to stand besides him, only for a rock wall to block her path.

"Stay put, child" Jura didn't even look at her.

"… child?"

Her tone suddenly turned as cold as ice shards, and she Requiped her Book, turning to face him.

Her eyes were now void of any emotion.

"I am no child" she announced, snapping the Book open. "I am a weapon. Ice Make: hammer!"

Jura blocked her attack rather easily, but it was enough to draw his attention.

"T-that was my attack!" exclaimed Gray, wide eyes.

"She copied it in her Book when she touched your forehead back then!" warned Happy, still lying on the ground. "She can use any Magic she copies!"

"Truth! Go and accomplish your mission! It is time" Brain finally found back his cool, standing once more.

She was about to protest, before sighing and Requiping her Book away, understanding it was of no use.

"Hai"

Ignoring the gasps from the other mages, she lifted herself from the ground and flew at the King's Summit, where she the magic circle powering the Magic. Placing her hands upon it, she summoned her Book before closing her eyes.

"Nirvana" her voice echoed, hollow. "Reversal Magic"

The Book started shining.

* * *

 **First thing first: Kaelys has a very simple idea of friends. For her, friends are people on whom she can counts and who won't betray her, just as she won't betray them. In theory, if any of you were to one day meet Kaelys and be nice to her, then she'd be nice to you -once passed the paranoia and whatnot- and have your back as long as you have hers. She'll never be the one to stab first, though she wouldn't hesitate to do so if you were to betray her one day.**

 **Also, yes: her purpose is to copy Nirvana. It will be more explained in the next chapter, don't worry about it. Though if you're still unsure, don't hesite to ask questions!**

 **Finally: one of the limitations of Thief Magic is that she has to train so as to be able to accomodate to the new Magics and to learn how to use the attacks. However, as you have all witnessed, she used Gray's _Ice Make:Hamer_ without much trouble. The reason is quite simple! The thing is, Kaelys couldn't care less about control right now. She's pretty much just releasing her Magic in the form wanted by the attack, she barely has any control over it and it also uses more power this way, but she doesn't care seeing as one: it's not her priority and two: killing others by lack of control doesn't bother her. They're ennemy, after all.**

 **Don't worry though, all will be cleared up in due time if you're still confused, and I'll gladly answer any question!**

 **Hope you liked it, I'm looking forward to your reviews!**


	6. Where Your Loyalty Lies

**Hey, I keep getting more and more followers, so I'm really happy right now! Keeping my promise, I' posting this new chapter because I just finished another one. Ain't that great?**

 **Also, this is the last chapter of the Nirvana Arc. Time to wrap things up and move on, I guess. Hope you enjoy it!**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

Jura had fought, and won. Brain now lied on to ground to his feet, unconscious, and Wendy and Carla had joined up with them. However, Nirvana wasn't stopping, which worried the group greatly.

"Do you think the girl from sooner is the one controlling it?" proposed Gray. "He mentioned a mission, didn't he?"

"She flew at the top of this tower" Lucy raised her eyes to said top, frowning.

"Richard-dono mentioned her before Nirvana went into its second stage" said Jura. "She uses the codename Truth, and joined Oración Seis a year ago. Her primary Magic is Telekinesis, yet a more advanced form. She learned Theft Magic a few months after joining. She is also said to be… mentally unstable. She won't hesitate to kill us, for she is extremely loyal, no matter the circumstances. We will have to be careful while facing her"

"Understood!"

* * *

When they arrived at the King's Summit, it was only to find the girl lying on her back, unconscious. She seemed to have some difficulties in breathing, her eyes wide and unable to focus on anything. Sweat drenched her heavy clothes, her pale complexion taking a sickly appearance. Her hands kept clenching and unclenching, blood dripping from her nose and ears.

For a moment, they stood still, unsure about what to do. Then, a whimper escaped her, and Wendy and Lucy ran to her side.

"She's not physically injured" announced Wendy, checking for any visible wounds. "It's just her magic that's completely depleted, dangerously so"

"But what could she have done to end up in such a state?" wondered Lucy, frowning.

"Wait… she can copy Magic, remember?" Gray recalled his _Ice Make: Hammer_ with a slight scowl. "If it's true, then that Brain guy must have sent her to copy Nirvana"

"C-copy Nirvana!?" gaped the blonde mage. "But it's a giant walking city! How could she copy _that!?"_

"This city itself is merely a weapon, a vessel for Nirvana's Magic" Jura frowned. "If Gray-dono is right, then she must have copied its Reversal Magic. It would make of her…"

"The perfect weapon" the Celestial Mage placed an hand over her mouth, remembering the black-haired girl's sooner statement.

Gray rubbed his temples for a second, shaking his head.

"It doesn't matter right now. She's obviously not the one controlling it, and we still have to find a way to stop this piece of junk"

"But… how?"

How, indeed. Too bad they pummeled Brain _before_ he could answer their questions.

* * *

.

.

"Shit!"

Truth sat up, only to come to a brutal halt as her head hit what seemed to be a rock ceiling or something.

"What…"

 _'_ _No idea'_

 **'** **Can't say either'**

"G-guys? S-she's a-a-a-awake…"

At the voice, the black-haired teen snapped her head at a blonde girl, who cowered under her confused and wary stare.

"Where are we?" she asked, feeling a lump in her throat. "What happened? I feel so weak… I copied it… I accomplished my mission… but where's Brain? Why am I with these scums? I can't remember anything…"

She looked around, aware of the wariness of the three other mages around her. She easily recognized Natsu -who seemed to be healed from his motion sickness-, Gray and Lucy. There was also Happy, and Jura lying next to them, injured.

Getting out from under the rock dome, swaying somewhat on her feet, she faced them, trembling.

"Why am I with them? Where's Brain? Where are the others? They can't have left, right? I accomplished my mission… I'm useful… I'm a weapon, they can't leave me behind… Brain… where's Brain?" she mumbled, an hand over her forehead.

At that, Natsu snarled and ran to her before roughly grabbing her collar, lifting her from the ground.

"What the hell is wrong with you!?" he exclaimed angrily, shaking her a little. "Talking nonsense about weapons like that… you're not a tool, damn it!"

"You know _nothing_ , trash!" she retorted, kicking her feet without much strength. "Damn, if I still had enough magic left, I'd make you implode…"

"You're the one who knows _nothing!"_ he shook her again, seething. "We barely talked and you piss me off already! Damn it, you turned your back to your friends then asked for them not to do the same? What kind of nonsense is that!?"

Her eyes widened at that, but her body only trembled more.

"I… I can't… I don't betray my allegiances! I don't break my promises! I don't lie! I swore my loyalty to Brain and Oración Seis and I won't go back on my word, no matter what!"

"Wasn't Cobra a part of Oración Seis too!?"

She gaped at him, stopped moving.

"He… was…" she looked down, eyes wide. "He was… but I swore to Brain first… I'm a useful tool… owners don't throw useful tools away… and he made me stronger… if I stayed weak, they would've taken me back… but Cobra… and Cubellios… I abandoned them, just like everyone abandoned me… what have I done? My mission… I copied Nirvana, I did it… I kept my oath… but my friends…"

Natsu dropped her as she brought her knees to her chest, barely breathing as her mind went in turmoil. Soon, the words leaving her mouth became gibberish, she talked too fast for any of them to understand a word.

"Oi, flame-brain, I think you broke her" sweatdropped Gray.

"I-"

"What a joke…"

At the new voice, Truth's rambling stopped as the Fairy Tail mages looked around, searching for the source.

"Brain used up all the rest of his power and could only get rid of one of you…" pursued the dark voice.

"Who is it!?"

"Up there!"

They turned around as a figure came out of the smoke.

"Pitiful… he's a disgrace to the Six Generals"

The figure fully revealed itself to be… the staff.

"Well, as long as Midnight is here, we haven't been defeated. And dear, oh-so-loyal Truth, who accomplished her mission despite the odds… well, I shall clean up the rest of you fools"

It flew closer to them as the teen gazed at it in confusion.

"I lived for one fricking year with them… and never knew the staff was alive?" she wondered quietly.

"That's the staff that Brain had" recognized Gray.

"What's going on?" added Lucy, kind of freaked out.

The staff laughed, and laughed, and laughed… until Natsu grabbed it and started hitting the skull against the ground like a hammer.

"Oi, oi, oi, oi, oi, oi, oi-"

"Wait, don't touch it! We don't know what it is!" protested Lucy.

"Stop this big city, you rotted stick!" Natsu ignored her.

"R-rotten stick!? How rude!" exclaimed the staff, binding on itself so that its eyes would be to Natsu's level. "Stick I'll accept, but what do you mean by rotten, uh? I am the seventh member of Oración Seis! I have awakened from my slumber to defeat-"

"I said stop this city!" Natsu started hitting it again.

"Seventh? But doesn't Oración Seis has only six members?" replied Lucy, confused.

"Plus that one over there, then it'd mean they're actually eight" added Grey, gesturing to Truth, who still hadn't moved from her crouched position.

The staff managed to escape Natsu's hold, and flew farther away.

"You violent brat… soon, I'll be able to see the Guild of those fools… I must clean up the trash without delay"

"You mean Cait Shelter?" inquired Lucy.

"Exactly!" the staff fixated its eyes upon her. "We will begin our destruction by crushing them!"

And it started laughing again.

.

.

Truth merely watched as the Fairy Tail mages got beaten around by the staff, unable to move. She wasn't going to _help_ them of all things, of course not, but she didn't like the damn staff, who talked as if he was superior to Brain.

 **'** **It's not like you got much magical power left any way. It barely started replenishing, attacking now would probably send you into a coma or something'**

 _'_ _I don't like it either, though. It's creepy'_

"For once, we agree" sighed Truth.

At that moment, the staff stiffened.

"Incredible… All six… all Six Generals are wiped out!"

It felt as if someone just punched her straight in the guts as the staff let go of the sphere in its mouth, which cracked when it hit the floor.

"They… all fell?" she whispered. "They're… dead?"

"No, this is bad" the staff wailed. "Very bad! He is coming!"

"What's he saying?"

"He?"

"There's someone else? Don't tell me the Ninth?"

But the staff wasn't answering, mumbling to itself and cowering in fear.

"He's not making any sense!" grunted Gray.

"He's juicing like crazy!" added Happy.

"Oi, who's he talking about?" Natsu turned to Truth.

She slowly shook her head, still unable to wrap her mind around her friend's fall.

"… I don't know"

"Brain…" muttered the staff.

"If you're talking about him, Jura beat him" announced Natsu.

 _"_ _What?"_ Truth's fists clenched. "They beat Brain? Then it means… I'm the last one… Oración Seis… is no more?"

"No" refuted the staff. "Brain has another personality. There is the front face, codenamed Brain, who holds so much knowledge. Then, there is the back face, Zero, who loves nothing but destruction"

"Loves destruction?" repeated Lucy.

"Zero?"

"Due to his overwhelming, evil, magical powers, Brain sealed that existence away himself with six keys"

"And those are… Oración Seis!" then understood Gray. "But… what about her?"

"Truth only arrived a year ago, when it was already sealed away. And, when the Six Generals fall, and their Body Link Magic is broken, the personality of Zero will be reborn once again…"

Truth wasn't listening anymore, though, lost to her thoughts.

"Brain has been beaten… Racer, Angel, Cobra, Hoteye and Midnight are dead… Oración Seis is no more… what can I do? What should I do? There's this Zero guy coming… will he take me too? Will I be a useful weapon to him?"

The wall exploded.

.

.

As the dust settled down, a familiar and yet unknown figure walked through the settling dust as the staff kneeled to the ground.

Well, as much as a staff can kneel.

"W-welcome back, Master Zero!"

"Klodoa, it seems things have gotten quite interesting" it was Brain's voice, yet it wasn't. "Even that Midnight was beaten?"

"I-I truly apologize!"

"Although, it sure has been a while, to have this feeling… to have this body… this voice… this magic! It all brings me back… I'll handle the rest. Stand back, Klodoa"

As Zero beat the shit out of the legal mages, Kaelys's eyes followed the one-sided fight without really seeing it. Soon enough, though, the Dark Mage won, leaving three battered bodies and a cat to wipe the floor.

"I-Impressive, Master Zero! Excellent work as always! Defeating these annoying brats like they were nothing…"

"But they still live" remarked Zero with a smirk. "You're still alive, aren't you? Stand up. You still have form!"

But they never got up. With a scoff, Zero then turned his blood-shot eyes to the black-haired Thief Mage.

"Truth" he called, she snapped her eyes to him. "Come, and stand by your new Master"

Her blood froze. Then, slowly, she got back on her feet and made her way to him without another word. He let out a mad laugh, roughly placing his hand over her head, before ordering her to lift them at the King's Summit.

So she did.

* * *

.

.

"I can see it! I can see it! Master Zero, I can see it!" exclaimed giddily Klodoa. "That's the Guild of the race that has sealed Nirvana for an eternity! All we have to do is destroy them, and then Nirvana can never be sealed again!"

"It wouldn't matter if they sealed it again" remarked blankly Truth. "I copied its Reversal Magic. This walking city is merely a weapon, just as I"

"Of course, of course, but-"

"This is stupid"

At that, the staff and the girl turned to look at their Master.

"What?"

"You heard me, Klodoa"

Before the teen could fully understand what was happening, the silver-haired mage destroyed Klodoa, cackling.

"This is stupid!" he repeated. "Destruction! All I want is to destroy! Anything and everything! This will be my first shot. There's no reason. Until it no longer has a form left to destroy!"

Magical energy started gathering in Nirvana's canon as the man turned to face the teen and roughly grabbed her chin.

"As for you, Truth… oh, your power is exquisite… I saw the blood you spilled… all those who fell under the power of your very mind… You shall destroy anyone who stands in my way!"

She didn't answer as he kept on cackling.

* * *

.

.

They had left the King's Summit to go inside, reaching one of the Lacrimas powering the engine. Truth had sat the farthest away she could, eying with wariness the electricity visibly crackling around the sphere, while Zero just kept on laughing like some sort of maniac, which was honestly starting to freak her out.

 _'_ _And to say you're the one to be called crazy…'_

 **'** **This guy doesn't have a screw loose… he fucking lost them all! Why are you still here!?'**

"Waiting" she answered in a low tone. "I'm waiting"

 _'…_ _for what?'_

"My chance"

Chance for what, she would never be able to answer.

* * *

.

.

"Everyone should just be destroyed!"

And Nirvana fired. His cackles however died down as suddenly, the whole city shook on its legs and the magic blasted by the canon deflected, missing Cait Shelter.

"What!?"

She stayed behind as he ran back to the King's Summit. She was tired of running up and down, and extremely wary of Zero. Plus, the explosions that seemed to come from outside didn't exactly reassured her.

Then, it happened.

 **"** **Can you hear me?"**

She stiffened. It was Archive Magic, without a doubt. This Hibiki hadn't been careful, though. Being a Archive Magic Mage too due to her Thief Magic, she was more apt to intercept these types of conversations.

Her magical reserves had grown since the beginning of the battle between the Allied Forces and Oración Seis. At first, she had to copy the strongest she could find, hence why she had done so when the Allied Forces was beaten the first time around. Her magic regulating meant it adapted to allow her to use the stolen Magic to its full potential. She had some trouble when copying Jellal's, since her Magic wasn't fully stable at the time, which is why she erased three of those she had stolen sooner. When her Magic finally regulated itself, she was much more stronger, enough so to copy Nirvana's.

If she hadn't went by all these stages, Nirvana's power would have been too much for her to handle and would have killed her. However, it was a close call, and she was still extremely sensitive to the Ethernano around her, hence why she was now able to intercept Hibiki's telepathic link.

She opted for listening.

 **"** **Everyone…"**

"Erza Scarlet, Requiping Magic, copied" recognized quietly the girl.

 **"** **Thank you… thank you, everyone!"**

"Wendy Marvell, Sky Dragon Slaying Magic, copied"

 **"** **As you can hear, we're reaching the limit of our magical power. We can't attack from the ship any longer. I don't know how long we'll be able to stay in the air either. Don't worry about us, though. Just listen to this, before it's too late. It took a long time, but I finally found it inside the Archive! The way to stop Nirvana!"**

 **"** **R-really?"**

 **"** **Nirvana has six leg-looking things, right? They're actually more like pipes that suck up magic energy from the earth itself. The Lacrimas that regulate that absorption are located where the six legs join the main body. If you destroy those six Lacrimas in different locations at the same time, Nirvana will be completely deactivated. One at a time won't work, because the other Lacrimas will regenerate the one that was destroyed"**

 **"** **Destroy six Lacrimas in different places simultaneously? But how?"**

 **"** **I'd like to coordinate the timing… but I don't think I can keep the telepathy up for that long. I've uploaded the timing in your mind"**

 **"** **T-twenty minutes?"**

 **"** **Nirvana is almost ready to fire again"**

 **"** **Six Lacrimas…"**

 **"** **Men…"**

 **"** **I just know you all can do it! I-I believe in you!"**

 **"** **Impossible"**

"Fuck!"

Truth grabbed her head, wide eyes, her heart thumping wildly. If she had joined in, then Zero would have known and _destroyed_ her.

She kept on listening. If at first she was intent on telling them how to stop Nirvana, they seemed to already have this covered. However, they would need more than four people to do this.

"… nan"

Oración Seis's mission had been to awaken Nirvana. Her friends had died for the sake of accomplishing this mission, and she would be damned if she stopped it herself. However, she wouldn't stand in their way either. But would she have to? If Zero ordered her to wipe them out, then what would she do?

"Siding with the Allied Forces would mean treason, but siding with Zero would mean my friends never were my friends in the first place… who did this? Who killed them? Was it the Allied Forces? Or was it Brain? Was it… was it me?" she hugged her knees tighter against herself. "Did I kill them too?"

 **"** **I am Zero! Zero… the Master of Oración Seis! First, let me praise you. I never thought there would be someone who could use Archive like Brain and Truth. Talking about her… come on out, Truth!"**

She sighed, placing two fingers to her temple.

"I hear you"

There were a few gasps, but she said no more, still conflicted.

 **"** **Good. Listen well, wizards of the light! Starting now, I will destroy everything! As a start, I have destroyed three of your friends. A Dragon Slayer… an Ice Make Wizard… and a Celestial Mage! Ah, and maybe a cat too…"**

 **"** **Natsu and the others!"**

 **"** **That's got to be a lie!"**

 **"** **I believe you said something about destroying the Lacrimas at the same time? Right now, Truth is awaiting at one of those, and I myself am standing in front of one of those six Lacrimas"**

He started laughing.

 **"** **As long as I and the girl are here, destroying all six at the same time is impossible!"**

She flinched when Zero cut off the communication, but Hibiki's own telepathic link was still set up.

 **"** **Zero has cut off his communication"**

 **"** **If we are going to destroy all six at the same time, then we have no choice but to split up and each head to a different place. The chances of encountering Zero and Truth are two on six. What's more, unless it's you, Erza, there's no chance of winning against him, and the girl is an unknown factor"**

 **"** **Wait a second, what are you even saying!? We don't have six people! We don't have six wizards that could destroy the Lacrimas!"**

 **"** **I… I can't use any… magic that can destroy! I'm sorry!"**

 **"…** **we have two here. Is there no one else that can move?"**

 **"** **My honey… am I not still here? Although, I am tied up…"**

 **"** **Ichiya-san! That… makes three…"**

The communication seemed to fade somewhat.

 **"** **Uh-oh! My magic power… my telepathy is going to run out…"**

 **"** **We need three more! Someone answer me! Is there no one else!?"**

 **"** **Look! Christina is… it's loosing altitude!"**

 **"** **Christina is crashing!"**

 _'_ _Kaelys…'_

 **'** **What are you going to do?'**

She looked down. Then, slowly, she placed two fingers against her temple once more, careful as to not alert Zero.

"Your friends are still alive"

 **"** **W-what?"**

 **"** **Who said that!?"**

 **"** **It's that Truth girl!"**

"I will not help you destroy the Lacrimas" she then announced seriously. "It would be treason. However, I will not stop you. I am now going to rejoin Zero, leaving my Lacrima defenseless. If one of you shows up at Zero's Lacrima to destroy it, then I will take care of him while that person takes care of the Lacrima"

 **"…** **how can we trust that?"**

 **"** **She's Oración Seis! Of course we can't trust her!"**

 **"** **B-but… she can't lie. S-she told me herself, back in the cave… and Brain knew that too, that's why he warned her not to say anymore…"**

"I do not lie, Erza Scarlet" the black-haired girl assured. "I do not care if you believe me or not either. The rest is up to the rest of you"

Satisfied, the girl then cut the communication fully. Letting out an heavy sigh, she rubbed her temples.

 **'** **Going against Zero, then?'**

"I believe I am"

With that, she left her Lacrima to go find Zero, ready to fight if needed. If none of the legal mages showed up, she wouldn't bother. She could very well die if she faced him, after all. However, she should be able to use the Lacrima's destruction to go for the kill.

"Maa, it's all 'what if's anyway" she grunted.

But what if she was right?

* * *

.

.

Truth was waiting in the shadows. She knew that Zero was aware of her presence, but also knew that he hadn't heard about her… truce, with the Allied Forces. If he did, he would have killed her right away.

Then, none other than Natsu showed up. He had some trouble walking, his breath short, and his jaw tightened at Zero's sight.

"Still alive, are we?" taunted the silver-haired man. "What'd you come here for, you little brat?"

Natsu chuckled, rather darkly.

"Will it be you who breaks, or me? Let's find out!"

But, as he was about to attack, Truth jumped in between the two of them.

"Truth, I thought you would have stayed to your Lacrima" remarked Zero, apparently not that bothered by her presence. "Back up for your Master, uh? Such loyalty truly is refreshing. Well, while you're at it, take care of the trash"

"Hai"

She Requiped her Book, and raised her hand.

"Fire Dragon's Roar!"

She blasted the fire attack at the boy, already knowing the effects it would have on him. The fire was wild and rash, barely contained. And, just as thought, he wasn't fazed by the attack at all. In fact, he merely ate the flames, his energy flowing back.

"Woah, you really can copy magic uh?" he grinned her way. "That's awesome! Thanks for the meal, by the way!"

"Truth!" seethed Zero, from behind. "I said to eliminate the trash, not power it up!"

"My apologies" she tilted her head his way. "I won't miss next time"

With that, she shot a powerful blast of Magic, which had been stolen from Jellal earlier… at him. Zero raised his shield, barely in time.

"Oops, guess I did miss again" she deadpanned.

"What do you think you're doing!?"

"Eliminating the trash. Fire Dragon's Roar!"

As the flames engulfed the man and his shield, Natsu hit his fist against his palm.

"The others weren't sure you were going to show up, but guess I owe you a thanks for that, uh?" he grinned again.

"Don't mistake me, I'm not doing it for you, your friends and that Guild" she warned, glancing at him from the corner of her eyes. "I simply don't want to destroy the whole world like Zero. And I don't want to loose my prayer either"

"Your prayer?" he repeated, somewhat confused.

"Dark Capriccio!"

Natsu jumped away while the girl flew higher to avoid the sudden blast.

"Don't think I'm on the same level as Brain" he warned, jaw clenched. "As for you… I thought you never betrayed, Truth?"

"I swore my allegiance to Brain and Oración Seis" she stated, landing back on her feet. "You are neither of them. You aren't my Master, for I don't have any. Be gone"

She sent him crashing against a wall, making the whole room shake. She would have killed him right on the spot with her telekinesis, but the man kept his shield up, probably more than aware of her abilities.

She would have to do that the old way.

"Then… you will be destroyed, like the rest of them!" he snarled. "Dark Capriccio!"

The green serpent-like beam of light came at her again but, as she avoided it, it followed her. Narrowing her eyes, she kept jumping from one side to the other when another came from behind, ripping away the skin on her left side.

She fell back on the floor, but used Meteor to increase her speed and destroying the beams hot on her heels. Zero was laughing again, though.

"Zero slash!"

The whip was about to hit her when it was practically annihilated by Natsu's fire, who stepped in between.

"What, forgetting about me already?" he sneered, getting in his fighting stance.

Zero casted his Dark Capriccio again.

"Iron Fist of the Fire Dragon!"

Both magic encountered each other and, for a second, Truth truly thought the boy would be killed. However, somehow, the fire blast managed to stop Zero's attack.

"Oh? You're able to stop Piercing Magic… interesting"

Before Natsu could answer, though, another fire blast sent the pink-haired mage flying away. Surprised, all heads turned to the door, only to find Jellal standing there with a smirk.

"Jellal!" snarled Natsu.

"Did your memories returned?" inquired Zero, as if he had already won.

"Aa"

"You… bastard! Jellal!"

The Dragon Slayer ran at him, intent on pummeling him to the ground, but was caught in yet another fire blast.

"Fire ain't gonna work on me!"

"I know. I remember. You're Natsu… our only hope"

As the two of them squabbled and whatnot, Truth used Wendy's healing magic to heal the wound on her side. As it fully closed, though, Zero attacked them once more, only for Jellal to take the full hit, protecting Natsu. Then, he fell to the floor.

"Y-you…"

"I-if you want to do me in, you can do it anytime" assured Jellal, gasping for air. "I'm already on my last legs… now… the power to defeat that guy… "

In his palm then appeared Golden Flames. As some more drama occurred, which the black-haired teen didn't care to pay attention to, she got back on her feet. Natsu was then engulfed in the Golden Flames, which he ate fully, growing even stronger than with the boost Truth had given him sooner.

"I have your power now, Jellal" he then said, clenching his fists.

"The Flame of Guilt, uh?" smirked Zero. "By eating that, you take on the same sin"

"I'm used to that" retorted Natsu. "For a Fairy Tail wizard, the true sin is averting one's eyes and no longer being able to believe in anyone! Truth!"

She stiffened as he called her name, and raised her eyes to his.

"They're alive!" he then said. "Cobra, all the others, they're all alive! But they won't be for much longer if you keep those half-assed attacks! To save them, you have to stop Zero! Isn't that why you're here? So why the hell are you so weak!?"

"Weak!? I'll show you weak, ash-for-brains!" she snarled back.

But his grin merely widened and, as one, they launched themselves at Zero.

 _'_ _Your power is great, but slaved by your emotions'_

 **'** **That guy isn't half-bad. Angering you like that, he knew what he was doing'**

"I hate you!" she yelled, literally kicking Zero in the face as he was occupied with blocking Natsu's punch. "You're the one who took them away! You manipulated Brain, manipulated them, manipulated _me!_ I don't care about myself, but I won't let my friends be hurt any more! I won't let you kill them! And I won't let you kill me either… I'll never be _your_ weapon, no matter what!"

"Yeah, that's the spirit!" cheered Natsu as they sent him crashing in the ceiling.

As the man fell back on the floor, creating a hole, the Golden Flames engulfed Natsu once more as he stared down at his hands in wonder.

"This power… it's similar to when I ate Etherion… eh, it's like my power's doubled, or even tripled…"

"Tche" grunted Truth. "No wonder Cobra lost to you. You're a fricking power house"

"Dragon Force" then stated Zero, facing them again. "The final form of Dragon Slaying Magic. Its magic power is said to rival that of dragon's, capable of annihilating anything… annihilation… interesting!"

That however brought a small smile to Truth's lips, who Requiped her Book.

"I guess I have to get out the big guns too, uh?" she remarked quietly. "You won't mind if I come to full power too, will you?"

"Come at me with any power, I'll defeat you without even trying!" boasted simply the man.

"Well, Natsu Dragneel. Shall we?"

"Here we go!" he exclaimed, charging forward.

 _"Meteor!"_

At the signal, they both dashed towards the man, only to encounter his shield. However, it was no match for a Dragon Force and the Heavenly Magic. But, as the shield broke, the silver-haired mage slapped his palms on the floor.

"Dark Gravity!"

The ground broke under their feet. Instantly, she sent away her Book to catch her fall and levitated Natsu too, while she was at it. Lifting the both of them out of the hole, she placed him next to Jellal before facing Zero again.

"It is almost time" she then said. "I will keep my word. Accomplish your mission, Dragneel. I shall accomplish mine"

Before either the boy or their enemy could react, she used her telekinesis to push Zero in the hole, before jumping after him and closing said hole behind her with Hoteye's Earth Magic. They fell –well, she flew- through five floors, before reaching the very last one of the main body of Nirvana. They faced each other, next to them yet another hole leading to the forest a few kilometers under their feet. A fall for him would mean instant death, he knew that much. She was at a clear advantage with her telekinesis.

However, the only attacks that could work on him were direct combat, which she was still inferior –she just trained for a year, after all- and her Thief Magic, but it took quite a lot of energy to cast a spell that wasn't hers to begin with. She had to make every attack count right now, or at least until they destroyed the Lacrimas.

"Zero Slash!"

She jumped from side to side, avoiding the green-dark whip coming for her and searching for an opening.

"Ice Make: Wall!"

He easily passed through, ice shards flying around, and she dodged barely in time his magic-empowered punch.

"This is bad" she gritted her teeth. "If I go on like that, I won't be able to attack… what to do, what to do…"

"Dark Delete!"

"Fuck!"

This time around, she was caught by three of the projectiles. Gritting her teeth, she decided to take care of them later. She couldn't afford to loose more of her magic right now. After all, copying Nirvana had taken a lot out of her and was still taking it's toll on h-

"Nirvana" her eyes widened.

"Come on, little pawn!" cackled Zero. "Can't you do better than that!?"

"… pawn?"

Her face turned blank, her eyes dimmed, and she straightened to face him, not saying another word. Yes, he was right. Pawn… this was just another game of chess, in the end. And if there was one thing she was good at, it was chess.

She knew what do do.

"Nirvana" she summoned calmly her Book. "Reversal Magic, copied not even an hour sooner. I'm curious about its effects, aren't you?"

His red eyes widened in understanding, and he instantly attacked her with an onslaught of Dark Capriccio once more.

"Reverse"

The spells simply disappeared in nothingness. He started to panic, that much was certain, for he kept on throwing attack after attack, each more powerful than the last.

And her? She kept Reversing them, sweat slowly forming on her forehead.

"It is time" she then announced, approaching him without a care. "The Lacrimas will be destroyed in less than a minute. What about you, Zero?"

"No! Trash like you can't win against me, the Master of Oración Seis!"

"You are the Master of _nothing!"_ she spat, fury in her eyes. "You have no Guild, no power, no will… _you are nothing!"_

"Genesis Zero!" he invocated, moving his hands in a circle. "Vanish into the great nothingness! No one will remember you, no one!"

"One of us is going to die, and it isn't me!" she replied, propelling herself at him.

"I cast open the Gate of Wraithwail!" called the man.

She kept on running at him.

"People of the Nil, erase this person's existence, devour his very memory and soul! Begone! Begone before the name of Zero!"

The girl was then engulfed by the purple mass of wailing souls, hands grabbing her by all sides as if to extinguish her very being.

But she wasn't done.

"Full Reverse: _Light!"_ she yelled.

Time seemed to freeze, before the wraiths pulled away to turn against their original caster.

"W-what!? Impossible! I am Zero! I am the Master of Oración Seis!" he protested, casting them away. "You damn trash… I'll kill you! I-"

He stopped talking, wide eyes as blood suddenly splattered his clothes, a hole in his throat. Raising her hand, Truth caught her scalpel without much of a care about the red liquid dripping down her hand and tainting the skin.

"You left your back open" she simply said. "Farewell, Zero"

She threw him out, his mouth opened in a silent scream. The momentum and panic had lowered Zero's awareness, which allowed her to strike the fatal blow. And now?

She flew back to the Lacrima room, just in time to see Natsu strike the giant sphere down with what remained of his Dragon Force. There was a moment of silence, before all Lacrimas exploded at once.

"Damn, that was one hard Lacrima" grunted Natsu, falling back on his feet. "Oh, Truth! You beat him?"

"Obviously" she muttered under her breath. "You should get out of here. It would seem your friends managed as well, Nirvana is now going to collapse"

"Eh?"

As if on cue, the rest of the floor broke. She simply levitated herself as Natsu fell down once more, only for Jellal to catch him in time.

"Don't let go!"

"Idiot! You're also in trouble, you know!?"

"I could help them" the girl mumbled. "But wouldn't helping them be treason? No, Oración Seis is no more… I have no more allegiance… it would annoy Cobra, though… alright, let's save them!"

She lifted them to her level, avoiding the rocks falling around them.

"Eh, I can fly!" exclaimed Natsu, wriggling around.

"Stop moving!" snapped Truth. "Keeping my telekinesis on three people while deflecting all this damn stone isn't exactly easy and-"

"Watch out!" warned Jellal.

The piece coming was too large, though, and she visibly struggled to keep it from crushing them.

"Damn… to think… I could have saved my own skin…" she huffed, limbs shaking. "I really… I really…"

"This is love, yes! You have learned as well, Kaelys dear, yes!"

Stunned by the sudden appearance of Hoteye, her concentration wavered and the rock fell. However, the man grabbed the three youngest wizards before disappearing under the ground while creating a protecting dome around them, thanks to his Earth Magic.

.

.

She gritted her teeth, eyes closed as they made their way to God-knows-where. She was troubled. For some reason, Hoteye was spouting some nonsense about love like he used to about money, which honestly worried her. Then, after what seemed like an eternity, the popped out from the ground and fresh air hit her face. Letting out a shaky breath as he placed them down, she slumped to the ground, slightly dizzy.

"Love will save your friends!" then exclaimed Hoteye. "Yes!"

"Sheesh, making us worry like that" Gray shook his head with a smile.

"N-Natsu-san!" Wendy ran to the boy, relieved tears in her eyes.

"That's Hoteye!" recognized Carla. "Why would a member of Oración Seis…"

"It's a long story" smiled Jura. "But don't worry, he's a friend"

"Natsu-san!" Wendy latched her arms around the boy's waist. "You really… kept your promise… Thank you, for saving my Guild!"

"It's because we all had the power, right?" replied the pink-haired mage, turning to the rest of them. "You have the power too, Wendy"

"M-me?"

"This time, give me a happy high-five!"

"H-hai!"

So they did. At that moment, though, Truth got back to her feet and faced Hoteye.

"You have betrayed Oración Seis" she simply stated.

"I merely disagreed with Brain's ultimate goal, yes!" he shook his head. "And you have helped our new friends as well!"

"I killed Zero for he would have killed me and all of you" she replied coldly. "I never betrayed my allegiance. But, I guess it can't be helped. Oración Seis is no more, Brain is therefore dead. Our ways part here, I suppose"

"Hey, Truth! Thanks a bunch for the hand back there!" then exclaimed Natsu, placing an hand over her shoulder.

"I said I would take care of Zero if one of you showed up to his Lacrima. That is all there is to it" she shrugged him off. "I…"

For a second, black spots danced before her eyes. She shook her head, feeling weak all of sudden.

"I used too much magic, uh?" she sat down, rubbing her temples. "And copying Nirvana sure was awful… damn, what do I do now? I still need to get stronger… but the others are alive… should I go back to them? But I don't know where they are. Cobra was on Nirvana! Oh, he's safe, Cubellios must have brought him to safety…"

"Err… why is she talking to herself?" Gray inched away slightly.

"Our dear Kaelys always says what she thinks out loud, for she is unable to think in her head due to the voices she hears, yes!" informed Hoteye.

"… voices?" sweatdropped the Ice Make mage. "That usually means you're going crazy, you know?"

"I'm not crazy!" she snapped his way. "They're real, and they're my friends!"

"Nevermind!" he raised his hands in surrender.

Wendy crouched in front of her, biting her lower lip.

"A-ano… are you injured?" she asked shyly.

Truth blinked.

"I've been hit by Zero's attacks a few times. I believe my ribs are broken, and I'm bleeding quite a lot" she answered.

"D-do you want me to heal them for you?"

"Wendy!" instantly protested Carla. "She's Oración Seis! And you're out of magic power!"

"B-but…"

"Aw, you're cute!" grinned Truth, ruffling the girl's hair. "But I can do it myself, no worries"

To prove her point, she summoned her Book and used Wendy's Magic to heal the few wounds she had, while those who didn't know about Jellal learned about his resurrection and loss of memories. However, the Book Requiped away by itself before she could finish, making her hiss in pain.

"Damn it… I really can't use more, or I'll pass out…" she muttered. "And I still have to go, too…"

"Go where?" asked Lucy, kneeling next to her.

"… I don't know. Somewhere, I guess"

"I'm afraid we can't allow it"

At Erza's statement, all turned to the redhead.

"What do you mean?" the black-haired girl's voice had grown colder.

"You are a member of Oración Seis, a criminal" the Requip Mage stood in front of her, unflinching. "Even though you have helped us in the very end, you have committed numerous crimes for which you have to answer to"

"I won't deny the crimes but, if I have to repent for those, then so do Hoteye and Jellal, aren't I right?"

The redhead lost some of her composure at that, apparently not having thought about it this way.

"I joined Oración Seis because Brain was the one who offered to teach me to control my Magic when I awakened it a year ago" announced Truth. "I committed those crimes for I pledged my loyalty and therefore obeyed whatever commandI was given. It wasn't about doing right or wrong. I was simply following orders. I won't try to excuse what I have done, for I don't regret it. It was simply the way things worked out for me. Would I have been found by you, Fairy Tail, I would more than probably have followed your rules instead. But it wasn't Fairy Tail who found me, or Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale or Cait Shelter. It was Brain, and Oración Seis. That's all there is to it"

Heavy silence followed her statement when it was broken by Ichiya's cry.

"W-what's happening?"

"There are some markings on the ground!" informed Wendy.

"Those are…"

"Runes!?"

Truth stiffened. Runes? That meant they were trapped. And if they were trapped, then the people who set these up…

"No…" she placed an hand over her mouth.

"When did this…"

"What's going on!?"

"The same ones as Freed? It's just as… no, even more powerful!" remarked Gray.

"We're trapped?" realized Lucy.

"Trapped" echoed Truth, recoiling on herself. "Trapped, trapped, trapped…"

"Show yourself!" yelled Natsu, pissed off.

And they were suddenly surrounded by some sort of legion, all men wearing white clothes and cloaks, armed with spears.

"W-who are they?"

"I wish to do you no harm" informed one of them, walking closer to the Rune Barrier. "All I desire is for you to stay here, without moving, for a little while"

"Who are you?" replied Happy.

"I am Captain of the Reformed Magic Council's 4th Enforcement and Detention Corps. My name is Lahar"

"Who?"

"Reformed Magic Council?"

"They're already back into business?"

"We have been reborn to uphold the law and protect justice. We have no mercy for those that do evil acts" pursued the Captain.

"What do you mean?" inquired Carla.

"We haven't done anything bad!" added Happy.

"I am aware" assured Lahar. "Our sole purpose here is to arrest Oración Seis. Please, hand over that person codenamed Hoteye to us, along with that other person codenamed Truth"

A whimper escaped the girl, who placed her hands over her head, which was hidden in her knees. Wendy shot her a worried look as the rest gasped.

"Wait a minute!" protested Jura, coming to face the man.

"It is okay, Jura" however intervened Hoteye.

"Richard-dono…"

"Even if my soul has been awakened to righteousness, that does not wipe clean my past evil ways. I wish to start over from the beginning. That way, when I finally reunite with my brother, I can look him eye to eye, yes" explained the ginger man.

At that, Jura allowed a small smile to grace his lips.

"Then, I shall search for your brother in your stead" he then promised.

"Y-you will!?"

"Please, tell me your brother's name"

"H-his name is Wally. Wally Buchanan"

"W-Wally?" repeated Erza, obviously recognizing the name.

Wendy wasn't really listening, though, bothered by Truth's state. The girl had started shaking, sweat rolling down her forehead.

Wendy could _smell_ her fear from _miles_ away.

.

.

After Hoteye, or rather Richard, was done crying, he got back to his feet and faced Lahar.

"I am ready to follow" he announced. "But I ask of you… one favor"

"You are in no place to ask favors, Hoteye of Oración Seis" remarked the man, tightening his lips.

"Please, listen! Truth is but a child. She joined a year ago because she had no other choice. She's still young, she can still learn! And… she can't stay restrained… her past has left some heavy psychological scars, you won't be able to take her back. Please, allow her a second chance! That is all I'm asking for, yes!"

"I am afraid it will be up to the Reformed Magic Council to decide" replied Lahar, shaking his head.

Understanding he couldn't change his mind, Hoteye simply let them cuff him before going to sit in the carriage. He shot a worried look at the girl, still crouched on the ground, who was eying his own restraints with blood-shot eyes.

 _She's about to snap…_

"Our true objective isn't Oración Seis" then announced Lahar. "The one who infiltrated the Magic Council, destroyed it and fired Etherion… there is a far greater evildoer among you, yes? You, Jellal. Come! And take the girl with you, while you're at it. If any of you resist, I have orders to use lethal force!"

"But that's…"

"Hold it a second!"

"That man is dangerous. We cannot allow him loose in the world again. As for the girl, she killed many already. She has to repent for her crimes, both of them has to"

Two of the soldiers walked in and cuffed the blue-haired man, who looked down.

"Jellal Fernandes… I hereby place you under arrest for the crime of high treason against the state"

Two other soldiers approached Truth as Jellal was brought away. The others tried to protest, but Lahar would listen to nothing. So, they started fighting. In the sudden confusion, no one noticed as the two soldiers after Truth were sent crashing against the Runes.

"Arrest them all!"

"Enough!" then intervened Erza. "That's far enough!"

Everyone turned to stare at her.

"I apologize for the fuss we've caused" she then said. "I will take full responsibility. Jellal… take him"

"Erza-" Natsu flinched when she turned to him.

"Sit down!"

"Yes ma'am"

Therefore ending the fight, Jellal was taken away in the carriage. Lahar however narrowed his eyes.

"Truth of Oración Seis, come now" he then ordered, stepping closer to her.

"… come?"

He stopped in his tracks at the voice, so void of emotions. For a second, his heart seemed to stop as her purple eyes met his. They were wide, sheer terror shining through her unfocused pupils.

"Come?" she repeated, her voice growing high-pitched as she raised to her feet. "I-I'm not coming! Hell no I'm not! You can't take me back there! I'm not going back!"

"What-"

"You can't take them away! You can't restrain me again!" she screeched.

The wind started swirling around them, a few rocks exploded.

"I'm not going back! They'll hurt me again! I'm not an animal! I'm not crazy! I'm not going back, damn it! I'd rather die than go back there! They won't hurt me again, I'd rather- I'd rather die!"

With that, she took of. Breaking through the Rune barriers as if they weren't even there, she dashed through the forest, ignoring the cries behind her.

.

.

She didn't have enough power left to kill them. She didn't have enough power left to flee by the air. She didn't have…

"I'm too weak" she ran faster despite her strength lowering at each step. "But… no matter what… I'm not going back. If I am too weak to stop them… then I'd rather die free!"

And she saw it. The cliff was there, twenty meters away. She ran faster, focused on a single thought. She wouldn't come out of this alive, but she couldn't flee anymore.

"They won't hurt me again" she repeated, her throat tight as it grew closer. "Not again…"

Ten meters.

 _'_ _W-what are you doing!?'_

 **'** **Stop it!'**

"Not again…"

Five meters.

 **'** **STOP IT!'**

 _'_ _KAELYS!'_

"NOT AGAIN!"

She jumped.

* * *

 **Woah, that sure took a weird turn, uh? Gotta love cliffhangers... anyway, I hope none of this is too confusing. The reasons why she allied herself with the Guilds at the end seems pretty obvious, and she was simply too magically drained to even try and use her Magic to defend herself. Being a person that thinks more in the present than of the future, she truly thinks that, in that moment, dying is her sole option.**

 **Thoughts? I can't wait to see your reviews! I LOVE YOU GUYS!**


	7. I'll Stand By Your Side

**Okay, okay, the last chapter ended on a rather cruel cliffhanger -honestly, I hadn't notice the pun until some people pointed it out-, and seeing how practically all of you were more or less cursing my very existence for ending it this way -don't I love to make people suffer?-, I've decided to post the new chapter. And best of all, I'm still keeping my promise of 'Write New Chapter Post New Chapter'! Awsome right?**

 **Sure hope you'll like this one!**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

Time seemed to slow down as all mages watched the girl jump, horrified. Wendy let out a piercing scream, tears running down her face. Erza was frozen in place, much like Jura, Gray and Natsu. Ichiya was still keeping himself from peeing his pants. Happy and Carla still couldn't use their Aera Magic. The soldiers and Lahar couldn't make a move.

Lucy didn't stop, though.

"VIRGO, PLEASE!"

She couldn't use any magic but, if Virgo came by herself, then she might be able to save the girl. It was a stretch, but Lucy could only hope by now. And, somehow answering her plea, the maid appeared, using her own magic. The pink-haired Spirit didn't waste any time in asking, already knowing what to do, and sent her chains down the cliff to catch the black-haired girl.

After a few seconds of tension, Truth was suddenly brought back up. She gasped as she hit the ground, shaking violently, and the maid bowed before disappearing as the blonde mage ran to the girl's sides.

Kneeling next to her, she then slapped Truth.

Hard.

Tears ran down the teen's cheeks as she stared at the brown-eyed girl before her, confused and terrified at the same time. Then, before she could react, Lucy wrapped her arms around her and brought her in a tight embrace.

"Idiot!" she exclaimed, somewhat angry. "What the hell were you doing!? You think death is the solution!? Jumping like that, what a stupid move! What were you thinking!?"

"… I don't want to go back" the teen gasped, desperate. "Please don't take me back… I'd rather die… than going back there…"

"You can't say that!" protested Lucy, not letting her go. "Death isn't a solution! It's a one-way track, a trip from which you're not coming back! _The dead can't come back,_ can you understand that?"

"Why would you care? _Whywhywhywhywhy…_ " the teen cried harder, growing hysteric.

The wind picked up again, the earth started shaking, and Lucy hold her tighter.

"I'm no one! I'm not a child, not a girl, not a person! I'm a weapon, a tool! I'm useless now, I'm weak! No one needs me and I can't defend myself anymore! If they take me back there, they'll hurt me again and they'll take my only friends away!"

"You're not a weapon! You're not a tool! You helped us destroy Nirvana, you saved Natsu's life, you defeated Zero! You're not weak, but everyone has their limits!" retorted Lucy.

"I'm a monster, damn it!" Truth screamed in the girl's chest. "I'm a monster, so stop treating me as if I wasn't! I killed people, stole, destroyed, and I can't regret any of it! Because if it wasn't them, then it was me!"

"That doesn't make you a monster! You stopped Zero because you didn't want to destroy, right? You killed those people because they would have been the ones to kill you, right? You stole because you were ordered to, _right?_ You're not a monster, you're _loyal_ , and no one can blame you for it! I understand this, I really do! As a Celestial Mage, I never break my promises, never betray the trust bestowed upon me by my friends, no matter what!"

"We're not the same" the girl's voice grew weaker. "You've got friends… mine… are taken away… always… I don't want to be abandoned again, yet I can't stop it… if I'm useful, then I can't be abandoned… but now…"

She sobbed harder, her words ineligible.

And Lucy made her decision.

"You're not alone. I'm not letting them take you away" she assured. "I _promise"_

The girl instantly stopped shaking, the sobs racking her body dying down.

"Wait, Lucy!" Gray tried to protest. "The Magic Council-"

"You are in no place to make such promises to a criminal" Lahar stepped in. "Take the Oración Seis member"

"I will take full responsibility!" then yelled Lucy, keeping her embrace tight around the teen. "I'll take her back to Fairy Tail, where she will fall under my jurisdiction! I am ready to take full responsibility for any crime she might commit under my guard!"

"Lucy!" protested Erza.

"If I may" Jura's calm voice seemed to ease the tension somewhat. "Richard-dono has mention psychological scars. Worsening those, and adding barely controlled Magic to the mix, could very well mean the unintentional deaths of your men and yourself, Captain Lahar. She is dangerous, yes, but even more so when restrained"

"So you're saying we should simply let her be!?"

"I-I think I understand Lucy-san's proposition" Wendy bit her lower lip at the sudden attention. "T-Truth-san could go live with her while waiting for her judgment. T-that way, you still know where she is and she w-won't loose control either… a-and Lucy-san is ready to take w-whatever punishment if Truth-san commits any crime…"

Lahar sighed heavily, pondering over it for a moment. While their job was to take back any evildoer, they had a point. The girl's magic was clearly unstable, and she might kill them all without even knowing it. Plus, her terror wasn't acted either. She had just tried to commit suicide, merely to avoid the restraints. For one so young to go that far… she wasn't running from her sentence, but from the chains.

It annoyed him greatly, but he understood it was for the best if he wished to avoid unnecessary losses. So, replacing his glasses straight on his nose, he let out an heavy sigh.

"Very well" he gave in. "Lucy Heartfilia of Fairy Tail, you are hereby charged with Truth of Oración Seis. Any crime committed by the criminal under your jurisdiction will be held against you. She is to never leave your side until further measures are taken by the Magic Council. Until then, you are to return to your Guild and stay there. She isn't allowed to take missions, obviously, and her charge will be taken from you if you aren't able to respect those rules. Have I made myself clear?"

"Hai! Thank you very much!"

"Men, let's go" Lahar simply turned away to go back to the carriage. "As for you, Fairy Tail… the Council will hear of everything. And I mean _everything"_

They watched as the legion, lead by Lahar, soon left the forest. Then, the eyes fell back on the black-haired teen's form, as Lucy let go to place her hands on the girl's shoulders. Said girl had a her right hand against the ground, her face half hidden behind her left one. Tears still streamed down her face, and none could tell if she had been aware of what decision had been made or if she was still panicking.

Then, she fell limp in the blonde's arms, a murmur escaping her lips.

"My prayer… was simply… to be free…"

As her breathing slowed down and her eyes closed, she soon went to sleep due to exhaustion, and Lucy gently hugged her again.

"It's okay" she whispered. "I got you now. And I'm not letting go. You'll be free. I promise"

* * *

.

.

"Where did Erza go?" asked Happy.

All too tired to move, the mages had simply settled down in place to gain back some energy. Truth was sleeping soundly, her head on Lucy's lap. The rest was very well awake despite being exhausted, but the redhead had disappeared to God-knows-where earlier and still hadn't come back.

"Let's leave her alone for a little while" simply said Lucy, running gently her fingers in the black hair of the teen.

"Aye…"

"Still, I don't think it's a good idea, Lucy" then said Gray, eying the sleeping teen with suspicion. "Taking responsibility like that… it was reckless. How can we trust her?"

"Don't listen to that striper, Lucy" instantly replied Natsu. "Truth's a nice girl, kind of. He's just grumpy because he wasn't as awesome as me"

"What was that, flame-asstard?"

"You heard me, ice-sucker!"

"You wanna go!"

"Bring it on!"

For a second, they shook fists at each other, before slumping back to the ground.

"Maybe later" they said as one, too tired to argue anymore.

Lucy let out a short laugh at that, before glancing back at Truth.

"She's just lost" the Celestial Mage said softly. "She's unstable… searching without knowing what or why… I'm sure I can help her. In fact, I'm sure Fairy Tail can help her. In a way, she reminded me of myself, when I was still at the mansion…"

Wendy eyed her for a few seconds, some sort of understanding in her eyes.

"Lucy-san… have you ever tried to… well…"

"… Yeah"

"EH!?" Gray, Natsu and Happy snapped their heads to the cheery blonde in shock, while Jura's eyes merely widened.

"I-it was a long time ago!" she protested, instantly lowering her tone when the girl shifted on her lap. "It's just… it became too much, you know? But when I tried, Aquarius stopped me. I think that's kind of why she doesn't like me very much, but… well, I realized it was a stupid move and never tried again. I wasn't alone at that time like I believed, I still had my friends. But her… she didn't have anyone. If I hadn't stopped her with Virgo, then who would have?"

They listened as her voice shook a little.

"I want to be that special someone to her… to be that person who made her see the light. I want to be her friend, someone she can count on… I want to save her, just like Aquarius and Cancer and Taurus and all the others saved me back then. Because… because she's worth it. She just doesn't know it yet"

Silence followed, before Natsu's face broke in a grin.

"Guess we'll have to help, uh?"

"U-uh?"

"Well, we _are_ Fairy Tail" Gray sighed with a defeated smile. "We can't just turn our back to someone who needs our help"

"Guys…"

"Aye sir! When she wakes up, I'll give her some fish!" exclaimed Happy.

Unable to help herself, Lucy laughed a little, glad she wouldn't be alone in this. While she didn't regret her decision, she had been afraid it would drive her friends away.

 _Well, I should have known better. After all we've been through together… you'll see, Truth. Fairy Tail will change you just like it changed me… for the best! I promise!_

Wendy and Carla exchanged a smile at that, before going to find Erza. Ichiya muttered something about 'the beauty of friendship, men!' and Jura simply nodded in approval.

If any of them had been paying attention, they would have seen a single tear escape Truth's eye.

* * *

.

.

"So cute!"

Now at Cait Shelter, all mages of the Allied Forces, along with a still somewhat weak Truth, had been invited for a special dinner by Wendy's Guild. If wary at first, the other mages soon understood the position of the ex-member of Oración Seis and said no more, still somewhat keeping an eye on her from time to time.

All the girls had been gathered in one of the houses, before being passed new clothes to replaced those that had been torn to shreds in the previous fights.

"Oh?" Sherry raised an eyebrow. "But I'm far cuter!"

Truth wasn't joining in, though. Sitting in a corner, she was watching everything with wary curiosity. She too had received some clothes, but she couldn't bring herself to put them on.

"The entire village here is part of the Guild" then informed Wendy. "So, clothing production if a thriving business!"

"Is it some kind of Nirvit traditional sewing?" inquired Lucy.

"Now that I think about it… maybe it is?"

"You didn't realize that the Guild was all descendants of the Nirvit, did you?" remarked Sherry, turning away from her reflection.

"Well, I'm the only one who joined afterwards…"

"Erza, won't you try them on? They're really cute!" proposed Lucy.

Truth glanced at the redhead, who was sitting opposite to her. Since yesterday, she had sported a dark expression. The girl knew that one too well, though. It must have been about Jellal or something.

Were they close? She hadn't asked.

"Sure… you're right" relented the Requiping Mage.

Lucy deflated a little at that, before turning to Truth.

"Ne, Truth! Why don't you try yours? I bet you'd be really cute!"

"… it's because of the scars" the black-haired girl looked away. "They'll show"

"Scars?" repeated Wendy, tilting her head. "Do you want me to take a look? I might be able to take them away"

"They've been there for a few years, so they won't go. But thanks for the offer" simply refused the teen, offering a tentative smile.

The little girl beamed back while the white cat eye Truth in suspicion.

"Ne, Wendy" then called over Sherry. "When did Cait Shelter joined the League of Guilds? I apologize for being blunt but, until this mission began, I had not even heard your Guild's name"

"Now that you mention it, neither have I" blinked Lucy.

"Is that so?" Wendy scratched the back of her head. "My Guild must really be one of the most obscure ones…"

"Who cares?" Carla stepped in. "Everyone is waiting, come on"

"Oh, right"

The girls headed for the door, but Truth stayed seated, unsure.

"I… I don't think it's a good idea for me to come" she then said, drawing their attention. "I helped activating Nirvana… which nearly killed them… and it's a ceremony to thank you…"

"But you can't leave Lucy's side" remarked Erza, narrowing her eyes, suspicious.

"I-I know!" instantly assured Truth, waving her hands. "I just…"

"You can stay with me, alright?" proposed gently the blonde. "Come on"

"This is going to get awkward real fast…" muttered the ex-member of Oración Seis, going to stand by the Celestial mage. "I don't regret it, those were my orders after all, but I'm not exactly the one who activated it… I helped search for it… and I copied it too… damn, why do I feel _ashamed_? There's nothing to be ashamed of. Or is there? I don't know…"

Sherry shot her a look at that.

 _Clearly bonkers, that girl. And Fairy Tail, trusting her like that…_

But she soon pushed those thoughts away. In a way, they were much alike. She too had been a 'bad guy' before joining Lamia Scale and, as much as she hated to admit it, she didn't feel bad for turning those island people in monsters or whatever actually happened. It was all for Lyon-sama's love, after all!

 _That_ made her review her position towards Truth. In a way, what the girl had done was merely… another sign of _love!_

As hearts escaped her eyes, Truth exchanged a mildly terrified look with Lucy before the both of them slightly backed away.

Then, they found the rest of the boys standing before the whole Guild, and joined with them. Truth hid behind Lucy, grabbing the girl's hand. She never had been surrounded by that much people since she went to school, and that was three years ago, so it wasn't exactly a comfortable position for her.

"Fairy Tail, Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale… Also, Wendy and Carla. And, not forgetting Truth" she hid even more at her name. "You have done well in defeating Oración Seis and stopping Nirvana. As a representative for the local League of Guilds, I, Robaul, say job well done" stated an old man, Master of Cait Shelter. "Thank you"

For a second, Truth hesitated, before stepping out from her hiding spot and heading for him, her pace calm and slow. She could feel everyone's suspicion and wariness rising as she approached him, and couldn't exactly blame them for it.

But, when she arrived to one meter of the old man, she stopped in her tracks, and dropped to her knees, before placing her forehead against the ground.

"I cannot apologize for helping in the activation of Nirvana" she announced. "Nor for helping the almost destruction of your Guild. However, I do apologize my past Master's actions against Cait Shelter. As the last member of Oración Seis, I will accept whatever punishment you deem necessary"

Robaul raised an eyebrow at that, before hitting her head harshly with his staff. All cringed as the skull cracked slightly under the blow.

"Ouch! What the hell, old geezer!?" she rubbed the sore spot, stars dancing before her eyes.

"Where is your Guild Mark, child?" he inquired, unbothered by her reaction.

"What is it with people calling me a child?" she mumbled, lifting her cloak to reveal the Guild Mark on her collarbone. "Here"

He hummed, before placing his staff upon it. There was a flash of light, before the tatoo disappeared with some sparkles. She gaped for a second, unsure of what to do with this new development.

"Despite your previous actions, you aided in the destruction of Nirvana. You are no longer part of Oración Seis, child. As of now, you are free from this Guild's burdens. _That_ is your punishment" he concluded.

She tried to reply, but couldn't find the words to do so, and simply bowed her head deeply before going back to Lucy, who placed an hand on her shoulder with a smile.

 _She's not fully freed from Oración Seis' burdens, with the Magic Council still on her back. However, it only brings her one step closer. In the end, only she will be able to free herself. But… I'm sure she'll manage. I know she can do it, and I'll help her. We all will._

Next to her, the teen looked down.

"Thank you"

Was it for Lucy, Robaul or anything else, no one would ever be able to tell. However, one thing was for sure: that was Truth's second chance, and she wouldn't waste it.

* * *

.

.

Truth wasn't really sure of what exactly happened next. Ichiya seemed to take responsibility for their victory and started a weird dance with the Trimens, making her snort. Then, Gray and Lyon stripped, startling Lucy and making the teen wonder just exactly if being weird was a must for wizards in general.

After what, the situation turned even weirder as Cait Shelter's Master broke the mood to apologize for hiding their true ascendance as Nirvit and, next thing they knew, the Guild wasn't real, Robaul was some sort of spectral form and soon, the members of Wendy's Guild started disappearing.

"Thoughts projection" recognized Truth in a low tone.

"What is this? Everyone!" panicked Carla.

"Magna! Pepel!" Wendy started shaking.

"What's going on here? They're all disappearing!" exclaimed Hibiki.

"No! Everyone! I don't want you to disappear!" tears escaped Wendy's eyes.

"I apologize for deceiving you" Robaul looked down. "All the members of the Guild are illusions created by me"

"Say what!?" yelled Natsu.

"Illusions with their own personalities?" added Lyon, wide eyes.

"What incredible magic power" whispered Jura.

"I lived alone in these ruins, protecting Nirvana. Seven years ago, a single boy came here. He asked me to take care of a little girl. I couldn't turn down the request of that boy and his fierce, honest eyes. Even though I had promised myself I would stay alone… I created an illusory family"

"That Guild was created all for Wendy?" Lucy placed an hand over her mouth.

"I don't wanna hear that!" protested the little girl, hands over her ears. "Bask, Naoki, don't you disappear too!"

But the last two illusions disappeared nowadays.

"Wendy, Carla… you no longer need a foster family" he then pointed at those standing behind her. "Don't you have real friends, now?"

He, too, started disappearing as Wendy only cried harder.

"Your future… has only just begun"

"Master!"

She ran to him, extending her hand in hopes to catch him in time.

"Everyone, truly… thank you. I leave Wendy and Carla in your care…"

He fully turned to nothingness, and the girl dropped to her knees as the Guild Mark on her right shoulder disappeared too.

"MASTER!"

She screamed and cried as the rest could only watch her despair. But… Truth was done watching and standing by. So, not caring about the rest, she made her way to Wendy and kneeled, before hugging the girl from behind. The Dragon Slayer kept on weeping, Truth never letting go.

Then, Erza placed an hand over Wendy's head. At that very moment, Truth understood the pain the three of them shared. The pain to be lied to, to be betrayed, to be abandoned… That pain… was one she wouldn't wish upon anyone.

So, she didn't let go.

"Bury the pain of loosing your loved ones… into the arms of your friends" then said Erza, the girl's cries dying down. "Come, to Fairy Tail"

Without a warning, her second hand gently landed on top of Truth's head, who stiffened.

"The both of you"

* * *

.

.

"Ah, swaying in the sea breeze feels so nice!" sighed happily Natsu.

"Isn't it great, Natsu?" concurred Happy.

The pink-haired boy started running around, yelling something about the amazingness of transportation.

"The Troia will wear off soon, you know" gently warned Wendy.

As if on cue, the Dragon Slayer slumped to the deck, now sick.

"C-cast it again!" he pleaded, practically green.

"If you do it over and over again, it'll get less effective" replied the little girl.

"Just leave him be" grinned Gray.

Lucy laughed, and Truth Requiped her Book.

"Eh? What are you doing?" blinked the blonde mage.

"I'm curious to see if I too will be sick if I use Dragon Slaying Magic" informed the girl, searching for the good page.

"I doubt it'd work" Erza shook her head. "You have to cast a spell or attack to do so. You're not a Dragon Slayer"

"Oh, right…" she sent it back, a little disappointed.

"Still, I'm very curious about your Magic, Truth" then said the Celestial mage. "It's still kind of confusing…"

"Well, my real Magic is Telekinesis, which allows me to move objects with my mind. I can also compress them, extend them… that allowed me to crush bones or things of the sort, to make people implode and-"

"The details aren't necessary" sweatdropped Lucy.

"Sorry, sorry. Anyway, it also allows me to fly, in a way, because I lift myself. However, I also learned a Lost Magic called Thief Magic. I explained it to Happy and Wendy when they were kidnapped by Brain. In short, I can copy, or steal, the Magic of any mage I had physical contact with. After that, each spell used by the mage will write itself in my Book, which then allows me to use them as I want to. Of course, I have to respect a few rules if it is to work"

"Rules?" repeated Erza, now curious too.

The girl hummed.

"First, as said sooner, I need to have physical contact with the mage I copy. I also need to have my Book in hands, so as to permit the copying, and I also need to know the name of the mage and the name of the Magic I'm copying" listed the teen. "After that, if I want to use one of the stolen Magic, I absolutely need to have my Book with me. I also can't use more than one Magic at a time, like mixing spells or something like that. I can't create my own attacks either. I also need to have the magical capacity to copy the Magic. That's why I first took yours and the other's when Oración Seis and the Allied Forces faced each other the first time. It expanded my magical capacities. Nirvana was an enormous stretch that nearly killed me, and it'll be a while before I can do that again. However, the strength of the spells and attacks depends on my own magical abilities. If I'm out of power, then I can't cast the spells"

"And you learned to do all of that in a few months?" Gray raised an eyebrow. "That's impressive"

"I was determined" she shrugged, looking away. "I needed to get stronger, and fast. I still do"

"Why's that?"

"Because that way, they won't be able to take me back" understanding they couldn't ask more of her, they dropped the subject.

The black-haired Thief mage then tilted her head to Erza.

"Still, Erza… why did you invite me to join Fairy Tail? Wendy and Carla, I can understand, but from what I understood, I'm still waiting for my judgment by the Magic Council, and I _was_ a member of Oración Seis. Why would you do that?"

"Everyone deserves a second chance" she answere, smiling softly. "We accept everyone seeking a change of heart, Truth, and all those searching their paths are welcomed. I believe you are still searching for yours?"

"It's not like I'm really searching for anything" she shifted in place, slightly uncomfortable. "I just… want to be free. That's all. I'm ready to do whatever it takes to achieve it"

"Then it's no problem at all" concluded the redhead.

"… I guess it isn't" sighed the teen.

But she was smiling too.

* * *

.

.

"And so, that's why I've invited Wendy, Carla and Truth to join Fairy Tail" concluded the Requip mage.

"I-it's a pleasure!" Wendy bowed.

"I'm not good with people, please don't look at me…" whispered Truth, bowing too.

"SO CUTE!"

"There's a girl Happy!"

"And that one's eyes are so pretty!"

"How old are you, misses!?"

Truth, extremely uncomfortable by now, simply ran to hide behind Lucy, who chuckled a little at her sudden arrival as a blue-haired girl and two older boys stared with curiosity.

"Do you mind if I stay here?" she asked quietly. "Oh, I must bother her… damn, but what can I do? It's not like I can leave or anything…"

"Don't worry, you're not bothering me!" assured Lucy, smiling. "Oh! Truth, this is Levy, Jet and Droy! They're the Shadow Gear Team. Guys, this is Truth! She just joined with Wendy and Carla"

"Oh, I love your eyes!" beamed the blue-haired girl, taking the teen's hands. "Purple is such a rare color! Ne, ne, I heard about your Thief Magic! Do you mind showing me later?"

"Calm down, Levy-chan, she's not going anywhere" laughed Lucy.

"Truth?" repeated the ginger, Jet.

"That's a weird name" remarked Droy.

"Not as weird as your hair" instantly retorted the teen.

She slapped an hand over her mouth, eyes wide. It had been a while since she had to watch what she was saying around new people, she practically lost the habit since she never really cared to mind her tongue in Oración Seis.

Fortunately, he didn't seemed offended, as Jet started laughing.

"Man, she got you on this one" the ginger snickered.

"Well, she's going to fit in alright" Droy ruffled the girl's hair.

"Whatever" she looked away, a light blush on her cheeks.

Lucy then grabbed her arm.

"Come on, I'll present you to Mirajane. She's the barmaid, and she's very nice!"

"W-wait!"

But she was pulled to the bar nowadays, and found herself sitting on one of the chairs as a white-haired woman approached.

"Hello there!" smiled Mirajane. "What can I get you?"

"… she's beautiful" mumbled the teen, staring with awe at the woman.

"Aw, thank you!" Mirajane beamed at her. "You're Truth, right? Do you want anything? I'll put it on the house"

"Err… do you have some orange juice?" the girl scratched the back of her head.

"Orange juice? Sure thing! What about you, Lucy?"

"The usual, please!"

"Coming right up, then!"

As Mirajane prepared their orders, Truth couldn't help but listen as Natsu, not so far away, counted his fight against Cobra.

"And then there was this snake with wings!"

"Snakes can't fly!" retorted a white-haired man. "It's not like they're a man!"

"What kind of point is that?" wondered the teen lowly.

"I'm the Sky Dragon Slayer!"

At Wendy's affirmation, silence fell over the Guild. For a moment, Truth thought they didn't believe the little girl, until they all exclaimed in cheers.

"Today, we're having a celebration! A party to welcome Wendy, Carla and Truth! Live it up! Live it up!"

"Oh yeah, I'm getting fired up!"

And just like that, the Guild erupted in a monstrous party. The teen gazed around, worried and awed at the same time. It was such an energetic Guild…

There was a little tap on her shoulder, and she turned to see an old man.

"He's really small, uh?" she remarked to herself. "Must be Master Makarov…"

"Yes, I am" he confirmed, ignoring her first comment. "Come with me, child. We have much to discuss"

"… right"

Escaping the chairs that started flying around with some alcohol bottles, they went upstairs to his office.

* * *

.

.

She sat on a chair as he closed the door, before himself settled on top of his desk.

"I have discussed your situation with the Magic Council" he then announced.

"S-so soon?" her hands clenched in sudden fear. "W-what did they say!?"

"We have come to an understanding" assured the Master in a soothing voice. "You will join Fairy Tail and stay under Lucy's guard for a five-years probation. Once these five years have passed, if the Magic Council judges you have repent for your crimes, then you will be allowed to leave and do whatever you want, I guess, all in legal terms of course. Until then, any actions you take will be under Fairy Tail's banner. Also, you will always have to be accompanied by at least one Fairy Tail mage when you take a mission"

"So… I can really join? They won't- they won't take me back…?"

The man nodded, and she let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, before rubbing her wrists absently.

"However, I must admit that I am wary" he then said. "While I do not doubt your intentions, it is clear you don't always have control over your powers and, from what I have gathered from the mission report, you aren't exactly mentally stable-"

"I'm not crazy!" she instantly exclaimed. "I swear I'm not!"

"Even if you were, we're all insane in this Guild anyway" sweatdropped Makarov.

She couldn't help but snort at that, calming down a little, and he indulged her with a smile.

"All I ask of you is to not hurt any of your guildmates" he then said. "Here in Fairy Tail, our bonds is what makes us stronger. One's happiness is everyone's happiness. One's tears are everyone's tears. We are nakamas. Respect these bonds, and you shall profit from them as well"

"I understand" she assured. "I swear not to hurt an fellow mage from Fairy Tail, and assure to you my full allegiance"

"Such ceremonials" he chuckled. "Now go out and have some fun, would you? We're partying all night long!"

With that, he went back to the Guild hall. She stayed in place for a few seconds. She wasn't Oración Seis anymore. She wasn't Brain's tool anymore. She was now a proud member of Fairy Tail, and she was free.

With a smile, she gazed down at the purple mark now tatooed on her right hand.

"Free" she repeated to herself. "… Finally"

 **'Now let's get this party started!'**

 _'Be careful, they all look like perverts'_

"Where have _you_ guys been?" huffed the girl.

 _'Well, you kind of shoved us away during your breakdown'_

 **'Ya know, when you tried to KILL YOURSEL!?'**

"Sorry" she winced at that.

Suddenly, Lucy arrived, passing her head in the door's opening.

"Truth, coming?" the blonde asked, beaming at her.

"Hai!"

The Thief Mage jumped on her feet to join the Celestial Wizard.

"Lucy?"

"Hmm?"

"My name's Kaelys"

* * *

 **So... good? Bad? I wanted her to join Fairy Tail because that way, she'll finally get what she needs: a family! Of course, nothing is ever easy, and she won't just change in the span of a day. But she'll learn, like pretty much every villain that joined the Guild before and after her, right?**

 **I know she might seem clingy with Lucy, but that's the point: even though worried, she trusts her deep down. Lucy saved her life when she tried to throw it away, and it means that Lucy actually cares about her, or at least in her book. Plus, being thrown in a Guild as rowdy as Fairy Tail -it wasn't exactly the same atmosphere as with Oración Seis- alone isn't a good experience, even more when you got anxiety. Lucy is kind of her anchor right now that helps her not to snap.**

 **I'm looking forward to your reviews, and I love you guys too!**


	8. Old Habits Die Hard

**Alright, so my last chapter was very** **well received by everyone -or so the reviews say- which made me really happy and so, I finished one REALLY long chapter -it won't appear for a while, but whatever-. I hope you guys like this one too!**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

"I'm sorry for barging in like that" mumbled Kaelys as they entered Lucy's apartment.

"No worries, Kae –I can call you Kae, right?-. I'm the one who proposed, after all" smiled Lucy. "I've got some place anyway"

"But still… I'll pay half the rent! Otherwise, I'll feel really bad… and I can't really cook, but I'm sure-"

"Kaelys" gently interrupted Lucy. "We'll be living together for the next five years. Don't stress over it, okay? We'll just split the tasks and that'll be it"

"… okay"

"Good! Now, I'll ask Virgo to set you up a mattress for tonight, and we'll find you a bed later in the week. We're also going to buy you some clothes tomorrow, and whatever else you'd need, how does that sound?"

"It's perfect, Lucy" assured the teen, genuinely grateful. "Thank you"

"No problem!"

* * *

When she woke up the next morning, Kaelys was extremely tired. She hadn't slept that much, what with her night troubled by nightmares. It had been a while since it happened, seeing as she was always sleeping with Cubellios, Angel or even Midnight sometimes. However, on the mattress Lucy had set up, there was no one else but her.

Of course, she didn't say anything to Lucy.

Well, tried not to, at least.

"So, slept well?"

"No, not really" she admitted, scratching the back of her head.

"I'm sorry to hear it, but we'll get you a bed soon enough so-"

"It wasn't the mattress" the teen shook her head. "I had nightmares"

"Nightmares?" repeated the blonde, more softly. "You have those often?"

"Nan. Usually, I slept with someone else, so it kept them away… you don't have to do anything, though! It's fine, really!"

"Of course it isn't!" replied Lucy firmly. "But I know just what to do. I'll show you tonight, though. For now, we should eat something, and then go for your clothes!"

Understanding she couldn't fight against it, the black-haired girl simply gave in.

* * *

.

.

"It's kind of a shame that you wear such unrevealing clothes" pouted Lucy as they walked out of yet another store. "You've got a really nice body. You should be proud of it!"

"I don't want the scars to show" simply answered the girl. "And I don't want people to question either. I couldn't care less about what they think, but answering would be a pain"

"You could always say that you don't want to talk about it" proposed the blonde.

"Then it'll be awkward"

"True that" chuckled the Celestial mage, before allowing some of her curiosity to show on her face. "Ne, I was wondering something… why haven't you copied my Magic back then? Was it because you already had Angel's?"

"Copying Holder Magic Types would be useless, since I would need the items" remarked the teen. "Why copy Celestial Magic if I don't have any keys?"

"But you copied Erza's, though. Wouldn't you need armors?"

"Her armors are magical items, yes, but copying it merely means I can access them too" precised Kaelys. "If she's wearing the one I want to Requip in, then I won't be able to take it until she Requips into another one"

"I see" hummed the blonde.

They had bought several new outfits, all of which Kaelys swore she'd pay back once she had gathered enough money. She was now wearing a skirt with shorts under it, seeing as it was much hotter in Magnolia than it had been in Nirvana's forest, a short-sleeved top that covered the lower half of her neck, and a small cloak that reached her mid-back, which was long enough to cover her body if needed.

She had wrapped bandages around her forearms to hide the scars, and her new boots reached just under her knees, which meant those on her legs were hidden too.

Her scalpel was still in her possession, hidden in her right boot. Lucy wasn't aware of it, and she hadn't told anyone else. It was like her secret boot and, while she felt bad for hiding it, she was afraid they'd take it away.

That little blade had saved her countless of times, and was the sole thing that allowed her to escape the asylum in the first place. She couldn't loose it, _ever._

"Say, Kae? Where are you from?"

"London"

"… what?"

 _'Kaelys, it's not the same world, remember?'_

 **'They probably won't believe you, though'**

"Right, I'm in a new world…" echoed the teen.

Lucy blinked.

"What?"

Purple clashed with brown as the both of them stopped walking.

"I'm from another world" announced Kaelys as if she was talking about the weather. "I woke up in this one a year ago, after I escaped the hellhole I had been stuck in for two years. I have no idea how I got here, though, but it doesn't really matter, does it?"

The blonde's mind was working fast, extremely so.

 _Kaelys can't lie, so she really_ is _from another world. In a way, it isn't that much surprising, what with new magic discovered every day._

 _However…_

"But… don't you want to go back to your own world?" she wondered, confused.

The black-haired girl stilled, her eyes widening.

"… she believes me…?"

 **'That girl is bonkers too, then. Guess the geezer was right about them all being insane. Guess what, you'll fit right in!'**

"I'm not crazy!" snapped Kaelys, before reporting her attention on Lucy. "No, I don't want to go back. My ancient world is rotten, dangerous, and I have no one to go back too. _This_ world is my own, now. Plus, I swore my allegiance to Fairy Tail. I promised I wouldn't harm any of my guildmates. If I was to leave, then the Magic Council would be on your back, and it would then harm everyone"

A strange seriousness entered' the girl's gaze.

"I don't break my promises, Lucy. You know what that is"

Yes, yes she did.

And that's why a smile stretched her lips, even brighter than before.

"Of course"

The older mage then locked her arm with the girl's, beaming.

"You know, though… one day, I hope you'll be able to consider us family rather than allies. You're a part of Fairy Tail, now, and our bonds are stronger than any allegiance you can make, alright?"

 _'This… actually feels nice, doesn't it?'_

 **'I like the blonde, but I still feel it's kind of suspicious. I mean, you were trying to _kill_ each other not a week ago!'**

"Alright"

And while doubts still lingered in her mind, Kaelys couldn't help but let some hope blossom in the bottom of her heart.

Who knew? Maybe she finally found where she belonged.

* * *

.

.

As soon as they arrived in the Guild, Natsu appeared out of nowhere, practically shoving a paper in Lucy's face.

"Luce, Luce, let's go on a job!" he cheered.

But the blonde frowned slightly as she grabbed the paper, glancing at Kaelys.

"Natsu, Kaelys just arrived. I'll take a job with her in a few days, once she's settled in, and-"

"Who's Kaelys?" he replied, confused, before noticing the black-haired girl. "Hey Truth!"

Both girls sweatdropped a little.

"My real name is Kaelys" she simply precised.

"Ooh~"

"Anyhow, we'll just wait a little longer before taking a job" Lucy gave back the request apologetically. "Kae still doesn't know how to deal with everything, and-"

The younger mage simply grabbed the paper and checked over it: a group of bandits was causing some trouble in a forest near Spring Village, and there even was a key along with the money reward.

"We should do it" she shrugged, and Natsu whooped in the background. "I _will_ have to take jobs, after all. Plus, I need to get used to work with new people. While in Oración Seis, everyone's abilities were different. I _did_ work with Aries, Gemini and Scorpio a few times over but, other than that…"

"I guess you do have a point" relented the blond, still hesitant. "Alright, we'll try it. We'll need money for the food anyway"

"Yatta! Let's get this approved by Mira and get going!" cheered the pink-haired boy.

"Aye sir!" Happy flew after him.

As soon as they left to get the approval of the white-haired woman, Lucy turned to Kaelys, her beautiful face frowning.

"Kae… are you certain? Getting accommodated to us first might be a better idea…"

"Lucy, what are you trying to say?"

"Fairy Tail isn't like Oración Seis" answered the blonde mage, rubbing the back of her head. "While I've never seen your ancient Guild working before, I'm pretty sure its not the same. The kind of missions are different, to begin with. The people working with you, their powers, the dynamics…"

"You worry too much. Let's just try this one and see how it works out, alright?" proposed the teen, before looking away. "I don't understand why she doesn't want to work with me. Is she afraid I'll loose control? Or that we fail the mission because of me? I've done harder missions before, I-"

"It's nothing like that!" panicked the Celestial maiden. "I trust you, Kae, I promise! I'm just worried it might turn out in a bad way if we rush things, it's all-"

"WE GOT IT!"

The purple-eyed teen flinched at the boisterous voice of the Dragon Slayer. For two years, her own screams had been the loudest sounds she heard, and the year after was pretty silent, what with being with Oración Seis.

Seeing the slight movement, Lucy's frown deepen.

"Damn it…" the teen silently cursed herself.

But Natsu and Happy were already back with them, so the blonde mage didn't say anything more, knowing she couldn't change Kaelys's mind.

"We gotta bring the rest of Team Natsu, though" added the pink-haired boy when he finally reached them, scrunching his nose. "Though I don't see why we gotta bring the Ice-Princess with us too-"

"What'd you call me, Flame-Brain!?"

"An Ice-Princess, Snow-Face!"

For only answer, an ice attack was shot his way as Gray came out of nowhere, apparently eager to fight. Natsu got hit right in the face, and instantly shot back a fire-ball. This sent the two of them in a fight, curses and insults flying around.

"That's manly!"

Elfman jumped into the fray, soon followed by Gajeel –who had gotten hit in the meantime-, Cana –her alcohol had been spilled- and, before anyone could really register what was going on, the whole Guild fell in an all-out brawl.

The doors slammed open.

"What is going on, here?" Erza's voice stopped all movements.

All movements saved for the table that knocked her into the wall.

A dark aura surrounded her as she slowly got back to ehr feet. Angry, she didn't waste anymore time in joining the fight, which restarted even more violently. Kaelys could only stare, unable to fully understand what exactly was going on.

"What the hell…"

 _'My thoughts exactly'_

 **'This Guild is insane! I love those guys'**

"That'd be a first" muttered the black-haired girl.

"You get used to it" sweatdropped Lucy, guiding her outside. "Come on, we're going to pack our things for the mission. Natsu, Gray, Erza! Let's meet up at the train station in an hour!"

"Hai!" they answered, before falling back into the fight.

The two girls then left, heading back to the apartment. On their way there, Kaelys stifled a yawn, before looking at Lucy.

"Maybe I should meet her Spirits before we leave" she thought to herself, thoughtful. "Or at least Aries, Gemini and Scorpio. They might not want to work with me, what with my background. Would Lucy approve, though? I'm not sure…"

"That's a good idea!" however beamed the blonde.

The teen recoiled slightly. She wasn't used to people answering. Normally, Oración Seis would simply ignore her. Cobra would answer sometimes, but only because he could hear the voices too.

If Lucy noticed her discomfort, she said nothing about it, simply pulling out one of the many silver keys hanging to her waist.

"I'll summon those three once the mission started" she said. "Meanwhile, I'll present you someone. Open, Gate of the Canis Minor! Nikora!"

There was a flash of light as the gate opened, letting appear what seemed like a little snowman, no taller than her knees. His limbs were shaking as little, and he waved at her as she crouched to get to his eye-level.

"Plue, Plue~?"

"He's so cute…" the Thief Mage gaped.

 ** _'Hug it'_**

So she did. As she squeezed and squealed, the Spirit simply hugged back, apparently enjoying the sudden affection.

Lucy stared for a few seconds, surprised by her reaction. It was so… _human._ Childlike. In a way, the blonde herself had forgotten that the girl currently having a breakdown due to the cuteness of the dog Spirit was actually human, and very much young. No matter the few screw looses, the maturity beyond her years, the broken soul, the deeds done by her hand…

Kaelys was still a _kid_.

The Celestial maiden clenched her fist slightly. She didn't know much about the young girl. Hell, she knew practically nothing. She had acted on a whim, only thinking about saving the girl's life at the moment. However, just like Team Natsu, just like her Spirits, Kaelys was now her friend, a part of the family.

It'd take time to accommodate. It'd take time to learn. It'd take time to get to know each other, to understand what they're both saying and really thinking. It'd take time, but time they had. Lucy held no illusions, she knew it wouldn't be easy. The both of them were going to make mistakes, but the blonde was no longer blind to the reality of the situation. Because of Kaelys's past –at least, what she knew of it-, she made her conclusions too fast about things before really knowing what all this was about: Kaelys was a fucked-up kid picked up by a Dark Guild.

There was _so much more_ , though.

Kaelys was a girl with many issues, an unstable mind, and dangerous powers. She was also a child who was ripped away from her childhood, lost on a path she knew nothing of, and following her own, twisted sense of morals because no one ever cared to make them right.

Lucy could easily relate to loneliness. She could easily relate, yet she doubt she'd ever fully understand what her new charge had gone through. However, she was also ready to learn, to adapt.

The younger mage needed someone to guide her step, and Lucy needed –no, wanted- to be that someone.

"Lucy, are you alright?"

She blinked, returning to reality and noticing Kaelys now staring at her, Plue still in her arms.

"Just deep in thoughts" the blonde waved it off with a smile. "Anyway, this is Plue. As of now, he'll be your roommate. That is, if the both of you are okay with it"

The black-haired girl stilled, looking down at the Spirit in wonder.

"She'd let him sleep with me?" whispered the teen. "Even though it might drain her of her magic, even if I could very well hurt him while she's not looking…"

At that, the blonde placed her hand on top of Kaelys's head, her smiled widening.

"I told you before, right?" she mused. "I trust you"

The unstable teen felt her heart miss a beat. She knew what Lucy had said earlier, already hanging to that promise, but to hear it again, so genuinely…

 _'That's it, we're keeping her'_

 **'You sure about that? It's easy to break promises, you know that'**

For once, Kaelys didn't bother answering. And, as they headed back to Lucy's apartment with Plue, the blonde couldn't help but notice the light flickering in her charge's eyes, the purple orbs now glinting with a softer edge.

* * *

.

.

An hour later, they arrived at the train station. They were the first to have arrived, apparently, and Kaelys was growing a little bored. Not wanting to exhaust Lucy before the mission even started, she had let her send Plue back to the Spirit world, and the blonde was now reading thoroughly the information they had on the mission.

The teen settled on waiting. It wasn't like she could anything else. If she decided to roam around alone, then it'd be considered like an attempt at fleeing and she'd have to leave Fairy Tail and truly go on the run.

She sat down against a wall.

"If Midnight was here, then I could sleep with him…" she mumbled, before stiffening. "Midnight…"

She hadn't ask about their condition. Thanks to Natsu, she knew they were alive, but for the marks on Brain to actually disappear, they must have been truly injured.

"I wonder if they're okay… I know Hoteye was alright, and they were all brought back the Magic Council, but-"

 _'I'm sure they're fine. You know them, they're strong'_

 **'I'd worry about yourself first. You still don't know if you can trust them'**

"I can trust them" protested quietly the teen.

 **'You sure? You never had to worry about that before, what with knowing your place in Oración Seis. You were a weapon, and a weapon's purpose is its master's. Now, you're a person. Your purpose and theirs are bound to differ, and when you decide yourself on what that purpose is, they'll only stand in your way'**

"I don't need a purpose" Kaelys gritted her teeth, bringing her knees to her chest. "All I ever wanted was to be free, and I am now"

 **'But you're not free. Your cage may be golden now, but its still a cage. In the end, you're not allowed to leave or do as you please. Is that really the freedom you wanted?'**

Kaelys tensed, her throat constricting.

"You're… no, its different-"

 **'They cut off your wings before you could even realize you had them. How pathetic is that?'**

 _'Enough of this! She's troubled enough as it is, there's no need to worsen the burden'_

 **'Tche'**

"I _can_ trust them" insisted weakly the girl. "I _want_ to trust them…"

 **'Do what you want. Don't come crying when they turn their back on you, though'**

"That won't happen!"

"Kaelys, are you alright?"

The purple-eyed teen jumped slightly, reporting her attention on Lucy, who was eyeing her carefully.

 **'See? Already started'**

"One of the voices is annoying me, it's all" simply shrugged the girl, getting back on her feet. "Are the others here yet?"

Lucy made a face at the mention of the voices, still unsure of what to make of her charge's hallucinations. Was it a sickness? Was it magic? Could she truly hear people? For all they knew, maybe she was a telepath. Maybe she could read minds like that Cobra guy did? After all, she _could_ copy Magics.

But then again, she would need to use her Book, which she obviously didn't have in her hands in that very moment.

"They should arrive soon enough" finally answered the blonde, before hearing a familiar banter. "See? They're here!"

At that, Kaelys turned around, only to find Erza approaching with way too much baggage, and Natsu and Gray fighting in the background.

"I feel like this isn't going to be an easy trip" sweatdropped the younger girl.

"Hello, Lucy, Kaelys" greeted the red-haired woman with a smile.

Said smile instantly turned in a dark scowl as she spun around and knocked out cold the two boys.

"Stop fighting!"

"H-hai..."

"Hey, Erza" greeted back Lucy, apparently used to this. "Gray, Natsu! Get up, we have a mission to accomplish"

Massaging their sore, bruising faces, the pink-haired boy huffed.

"Must be the first time she's excited to go on a mission with bandits" he remarked.

"Well, it _is_ Kaelys's first mission with Team Natsu" pointed out Erza, smiling warmly at the teen again. "How do you feel about it?"

"Conflicted" admitted bluntly the girl. "I don't see how the five of you manage to form a balanced team. Erza is insanely strong and looses her temper easily. Gray and Natsu are power-houses that'd rather fight each other than enemies. Lucy isn't as strong as the rest of you, but her mind makes up for it, though it seems obvious you aren't using her intelligence to its full potential. Finally, Happy only seems to be acting as the mascot of the group. In overall, each of you are extreme opposites and the only reason I can see behind the formation of your team is that you once needed a very strong team for a particular mission, and it ended up being the five of you, who stuck together ever since under the name of Team Natsu. Have I gotten everything right?"

There was a moment of heavy silence as they all stared at the girl. She simply blinked, not sure of what else to say, and mindlessly rubbed her wrists.

"That was an extremely adequate deduction" finally remarked Erza, more surprised than upset by the teen's observations. "You would be right about the reason behind Team Natsu's formation. We are a heavy hitter team. However, while there may not be much balance, I believe we are very much like Oración Seis on this point. After all, was not the whole Guild constituted of extremely powerful members?"

"That would be where you're wrong" the teen shook her head, not missing a beat. "We were seven members, myself included. Everyone was an heavy hitter, yes, but also had a very specific role in the Guild. Angel was the infiltrator and information gatherer, what with her abilities with Gemini. Cobra was the spy, able to hear everything. Hoteye was our Bounty Hunter, he's the one who was collecting most of the funds of the Guild. Racer was the messenger and the link between all the Guilds under our control thanks to the Balam Alliance. Brain was obviously the Guild Master and the one behind all of our strategies. Finally, Midnight and myself were the trump cards of the group. Midnight because no one knew of his powers saved for us, and myself because no one knew of my very existence before we met at Nirvana. I was also the one taking most of the "official" missions, seeing as my face wasn't known as a criminal then"

Kaelys was on a roll. Her eyes had dimmed, and the five wizards could easily see that it was no longer a child they were facing.

She seemed older, much more mature, and it was kind of scary.

"Team Natsu is different, because you all fail to tap into your individual potentials. You all aim as heavy hitters and forget about the rest, hence why I believe your team is off-balance" she concluded.

"What would you suggest, then?" inquired Erza, interested.

"Lucy would be the strategist" the blonde started spluttering at that, shaking her head wildly. "She possesses a tactical mind that isn't unlike Brain's, and is able to see a situation under many different angles. She can plan many steps ahead of the enemy, something not many are able to do. It is somewhat of a requirement for Celestial Mages, seeing as they need tot think fast on their feet if they want to be able to fight with the right keys at the right times. The only reason why you never noticed is because you apparently never bothered with a strategy in the first time. Would I be right in assuming you're using the 'barge in and destroy everything' method?"

"This is insane, she has us spot on" Gray sweatdropped.

"Erza would be the infiltrator. Thanks to her different armors and her Requip Magic, she would be able to get into enemy territory without much of a hassle, and would also be able to get out as easily, seeing as she can summon her weapons out of nowhere. Happy could be the spy, and also the 'emergency exit' if we want to put it that way. Since he possesses flying magic, he could be used as a last resort to flee a battle if things go bad. He could also be the messenger" pursued Kaelys, unperturbed. "Finally, Gray and Natsu would be the main heavy hitters. Seeing as I sincerely doubt any of you would be able to achieve another role, it'd balance the rest of the team, though your teamwork needs some serious work"

"Ah! As if I'd work with that pervert!" huffed Natsu.

"What was that, salmon-head!?"

"Gray, your clothes!" screeched Lucy.

"Wha! When did that happen!?"

As the three of them bickered, completely forgetting about Kaelys's analysis for the moment, Erza approached the young girl.

"If you don't mind me asking, where do you fit in this?"

"What?"

"You are a part of Team Natsu now" remarked the red-haired mage. "Therefore, you must bring something to this team too, right?"

At that, the girl actually smirked.

"Once again, I'm the trump card. No one actually knows how many Magics I have copied, or what they are. Hell, rare are those who even know about my Thief Magic in the first place. Also, my Telekinesis isn't common either. I'm an effective fighter, and I know hand-to-hand combat. Who'd expect a fourteen years old girl like me to be a killer?"

Erza flinched slightly at the last sentence. She knew that the girl had killed many, everyone knew. But, as said before, Kaelys merely acted on orders. It's not like she enjoyed it or anything.

And, while the black-haired girl seemed to believe herself to be a monster, Erza couldn't bring herself to believe the same.

"Guys, the train's here! Let's go!"

Startled out of her thoughts, the Requip Mage then glanced to the black-haired girl. Her purple eyes were once again normal, as if an entirely different person had been the one speaking before.

"Kaelys?"

"Hm?"

"… it's nothing. Let's go"

"Hai~"

* * *

.

.

"This is awesome!"

"S-stop… r-r-r-run-*blurgh*-running… around…"

Kaelys stopped moving, glancing at the Dragon Slayer now lying on the floor.

"Do you have motion sickness?" she snorted, before blinking. "Wait, he does. It was the same thing, back on Nirvana…"

"That idiot's just weak, it's all" taunted Gray.

Instantly, the pink-haired boy glared his way, only to free his breakfast in the next second. They all made disgusted noises as an heavy smell of fish and eggs slowly filled the room, and Erza finally knocked him out.

"I suggest we change cabins" Kaelys pinched her nose to keep the terrible scent away.

"Agreed" nodded the rest in one voice.

* * *

.

.

They were now in Spring Village. After having hauled Natsu off the engine, the boy had regained his energy, and was goofing around with Happy.

Kaelys was no better. She was extremely tempted to ditch them and take a look around. After all, she didn't have much of a chance to explore the world she had ended up in when she joined Oración Seis.

They suddenly walked into the market street. It was extremely busy, vibrant with life, sounds and noises… Kaelys wasn't so keen on exploring anymore. Grabbing Lucy's hand, she glued herself to the blonde's side, eyeing warily all those passing by.

"You okay?" murmured the older girl.

"I don't like crowds that much" simply said the teen, hiding away even more.

 _She's tensed. She's not scared, more like… suspicious?_

"Hey, we're soon reaching our hotel" assured Lucy with a reassuring smile. "We'll pass an hour there, and go search for the bandits afterwards. They're said to attack at dawn, what with the late travellers"

 _'There are too many people. Who knows which ones are out for your head?'_

 **'Watch out for the guy at the stale. Oh, the woman there is looking at you weird, too. And those guys at the bar, they're weird'**

"Stop putting ideas in my head" growled lowly the girl.

 **'Well, someone has to'**

 _'Ouch'_

"Jerk"

"Why are you talking to yourself?" snickered Happy, suddenly next to her. "You're crazy~"

"I'm not crazy!" she bared her teeth at him.

He instantly backed away, wailing to Natsu about a 'mean girl'.

"Don't mind him" Lucy shook her head. "He's sweet, but he can make some thoughtless comments when he wants to. Don't pay attention"

Unable to refrain it, warmth settled in her chest at Lucy's reassurance. Somehow, it felt like the blonde mage was more important than the stupid cat's words. So, forgetting about the incident, she returned to eyeing the crowd with suspicion.

* * *

.

.

Lucy, Erza and Kaelys settled in one room while Gray, Natsu and Happy took the one in front of them. While the redhead went to meet the mayor, the boys went downstairs to eat, and the blonde mage decided to use this opportunity to inform her Spirits about their new comrade.

"Open, Gate of the Ram, Aries!"

"I-I'm sorry…" the ram appeared.

Instantly, she noticed Kaelys, and froze. Lucy was about to reassure her, when the Spirit relaxed ever so slightly, apparently understanding what was going on.

"I-I see…" she murmured.

"Kaelys is no longer a part of Oración Seis" informed gently the celestial maiden. "She's a part of Fairy Tail, now. Do you think you'll be alright if you are to work with her?"

"I-I-I doubt there'll b-be any problem" the pink-haired Spirit looked away. "T-Truth… no, Kaelys, has been t-the one stopping A-Angel f-from torturing us…"

"Really?" blinked the blonde, unaware of that bit of information.

"I can't stand torture" the teen twisted her hands, eyes downcast. "I had resolved myself to doing the necessary, but I failed this resolve"

"It's not a bad thing" instantly assured Lucy with a smile. "Aries, I'm sending you back. Would you mind informing Gemini and Scorpio? I'll call upon Loke to have their answers, I don't want to deplete my Magic right away, seeing as we're on a mission"

"H-hai, I'm sorry…"

With that, the ram disappeared. Lucy smiled warmly at the teen, before brandishing a new key.

"Open, Gate of the Lion, Leo!"

There was another flash of light, revealing a ginger boy in a suit.

"Hello, my Princess~" greeted the Spirit with a flirty smirk. "Oh, how I have missed you~!"

"Sorry, no time for that today, Loke" chuckled slightly the brown-eyed girl, gesturing to the other occupant in the room. "Loke, this is Kaelys. Kaelys, this is Loke. He likes to pop up at random, so don't be surprised if he does so"

There was a moment of silence as the two of them stared, faces blank. Then, Loke's unemotional mask fell, and he was suddenly crouching before her. Startled, Kaelys leaned away, only for him to leaned closer.

Next thing she knew, he was hugging her.

"Thank you, for protecting them"

"Who?" she was tensed, hand twitching over the boot where her scalpel was hidden.

"Aries, Gemini and Scorpio. Had you not been there, Angel would have keep on torturing them, and knowing they were somewhat safe thanks to you is a relief" he answered softly. "So thank you"

 _'He's waaay too close'_

 **'He's annoying'**

"Think nothing of it" Kaelys simply pulled away.

Accepting her answer, the lion let her go and faced Lucy once more, this time with a more genuine smile.

"Scorpio and Gemini are aware too, and don't mind working with her. I'll take my leave, now. Do not hesitate to calm me, Princess~"

"Hai, hai" Lucy rolled her eyes as the flirty boy disappeared.

Once he was gone, she turned to Kaelys.

"You mustn't be used to being thanked" mused the blonde.

"I'm more used to people begging for their lives" admitted Kaelys.

There was a moment of silence.

"… that was a joke" she looked away, muttering under her breath. "They never had the chance to beg anyway"

The Celestial Mage laughed awkwardly, and decided to simply let it go. Over time, she was convinced she'd learn to appreciate the girl's particular humor.

 _But… maybe not today._

* * *

.

.

"Alright, let's go kick some bandits' asses!" exclaimed Natsu.

"Aye sir!" cheered Happy.

"Stop being so damn loud, ash-for-brains! They'll hear you coming miles away!" retorted Gray, annoyed.

"What was that, popsicle-dick!?"

"Natsu, language!" protested Lucy, covering Kaelys's ears.

But the girl wasn't paying attention, examining their surroundings with precaution. They were now in enemy territory, after all.

"I don't understand how they've survived this long while acting so recklessly…" mumbled the teen.

"Yeah, me neither" sweatdropped the blonde.

They walked some more, until a cry from Happy stopped them.

"Happy? Happy!"

"I-I'm up here, Natsu. Waa, get me down!"

They all raised their eyes, only to find the blue cat trapped in a net, high above their heads.

"Hang in there buddy, I'm coming!"

Kaelys' eyes widened.

"Wait, that's a-"

An explosion echoed before she could finish her sentence. A smoke blinded them, she could faintly hear the voices of the bandits now surrounding them.

"Trap. Just great" she cursed.

Flying above everyone, it's only once up there that she managed to get a good view on the improvised battlefield. Happy was still trapped, Natsu was charging at a group while Gray froze everyone in the opposite way. Erza was cutting down everyone –though there were no fatally injured- and Lucy was whipping the floor with the rest along with the Bull Spirit.

Or so they thought.

Narrowing her eyes, Kaelys easily noticed the magic field raised above all of her friends. The bandits they were after had mages after all, and they had apparently used the smoke screen to hide the creation of the magic field. They could easily get out, but they were trapped in an illusion and thus wouldn't see the danger until it was too late.

"I need to find the one who raised the barrier…"

Searching for a few seconds, she then found him. He was the only one not participating in the "battle", hidden in the trees. He was probably waiting for them to be exhausted before striking the final blow.

"The rest of the real group must be hidden under another illusion" she understood. "They're waiting for everyone to be exhausted before fighting for real. How cowardly"

Annoyed, Kaelys didn't waste a second and used her Telekinesis to send the Illusionary Mage crashing against one of the trees. Instantly knocked out, he had no time to warn the rest of the bandits.

Flying down, the teen didn't even bother taking out her Book. Using her mind to move the scalpel, she started flying through the enemy ranks, cutting them down without a second thought. Their cries and the sound of blood splattering the ground echoed all around her, but she couldn't care less.

"They were about to kill them" anger was swirling in her purple orbs. "Hell no... not on my watch!"

 _'Behind you!'_

The air was knocked out of her as she was kicked quite literally to the ground. Gasping, she tried to get back on her feet, only for another hit to the head to send her back down.

 **'Get your head into it, damn it!'**

"You're quite the annoyance, girl" snapped the man, approaching.

She raised her gaze, catching his ruby-red eyes.

"Killing my men like that…" he tsked. "What a mess. Guess I'll have to find new puppets. Starting with you, that is"

"Puppets…?"

 **'Don't look him in the eyes!'**

She instantly looked away, and the man let out a sharp laugh.

"Well, we got a little genius on our hands" he laughed, lifting her by the hair. "Guess you'll be more useful than I thought"

With that, he threw her against another tree. Her arm cracked under the strength of the blow, and she bit back a strangled scream of pain.

 **'What the hell are you doing!? You're so weak!'**

 _'Shut up! The blow to the head shocked her!'_

 **'So what!?'**

"And who knows? Those friends of yours weren't half-bad either" added the smirking mage.

At that, Kaelys stiffened. Then, slowly, she raised back to her feet. Cradling her injured arm against her, she called upon her Book, though discreetly, and looked him directly in the eyes.

"Oh, giving in?" he taunted. "Well, if you ask so nicely… _Control!"_

His red eyes flashed, and she reacted instantly.

"Nirvana: _Rev_ _erse!"_

He gasped, and suddenly stopped moving. He now held a blank face, his eyes dimming down a shade or two.

"A puppet, uh?" her lips twisted into a snarl. "Then I must be the puppeteer. Jump!"

So he jumped.

"Move to the right"

So he moved.

"Die"

So he died.

As soon as his body hit the bloody grass, the teen sent back her Book and blinked back the tears that threatened to fall. She hadn't been seriously injured in a long, long time, and a broken arm was _not_ fun, nor agreeable.

It hurt, for fuck's sake!

"I've been careless…" she swallowed harshly. "I-"

"What the _hell"_

Forgetting for a moment about her injury, she turned to see the rest of the team approaching, and let out a relieved sigh.

"Thank God they're okay-"

"D-did you just _kill them!?"_

Said relief instantly vanished at Gray's tone.

Taking a step back, the girl cradled her arm even more, suddenly very aware that she had made a mistake. Which one she couldn't tell, but it was obviously a big one, if his tone was anything to go with. What had she done wrong? It was bad, bad, bad-

"You killed them all!? Without even- even _hesitating!?"_

Lucy was pale, extremely so. Happy was hiding his sight in Natsu's shoulder while the pink-haired boy stared at the corpses with wide eyes. He seemed to be struggling between wonder and horror. As for Erza, she simply had a resigned expression her face. Gray, though…

Gray was _furious._

"Gray, wait-" Lucy tried to intervene, but he stopped her.

"No, I wont! What the actual hell!? You can't just go around killing people like that!" he yelled her way.

"They were going to kill you" weakly protested the younger girl.

"It doesn't matter, we could have handled them without cutting their damn throats!" snarled back the older mage. "You see the guy to whom you just _ordered to die_? He was the one controlling them. Mind control, damn it! They were just puppets, maybe even innocent people, and you just decided to kill them all!"

"I didn't know-"

"It doesn't matter! Knowing or not, you can't just kill people for the hell of it!" he clenched his fists.

"I…"

"And using Nirvana, of all things! This is Dark Magic, yet you just used it as if it was nothing, as if there wasn't a price for it!"

"Gray, calm down" Erza ordered, placing an hand on his shoulder.

He shrugged her off, truly angry.

"No, I won't calm down! We let her join Fairy Tail because we give second chances, but Fairy Tail does _not_ kill people, it does _not_ use Dark Magic, and it does _not_ excuse massacres! She just went on a fricking killing spree, and there's _no going back"_

"I-it was said… dead or alive, right?" then replied the teen, hoping it'd change something. "Catch the bandits, dead or alive-"

 _"Fairy Tail don't kill!"_ he repeated.

Her purple eyes widened, she took a step back.

"… I didn't know…"

"How could you _not_ know!? What kind of insane person _doesn't know_ not to kill people!?"

The girl had been frozen since the beginning of the older mage's rant because of how unexpected it was. She had never been so thoroughly scolded in the past three years, if not more, and even less by a scary boy she knew practically nothing of too.

What's more, she didn't even understand what she did wrong to begin with!

"I'm not crazy!" she snapped back.

She was angry too, now. And when she was angry, disaster always ensued. Whatever happened next, it wouldn't be pretty.

"Oh yeah? Well how do you even expect us to believe that with how you're acting!? You're batshit insane, that's why!"

"TAKE IT BACK!"

A tree imploded, bark flying everywhere.

"That's enough, ice-jerk" intervened Natsu, his usual smile replaced by a darker scowl. "She gets it-"

"No, she doesn't! She needs to get into her skull that Fairy Tail isn't Oración Seis and that we're not like these goddamn degenerates! The massacre she did just now? It'll fall back on _us_ and taint Fairy Tail _forever._ How can you stand by and let it pass? That girl is crazy, and she'd better be off in an asylum than our Guild!"

"Gray!" snapped Erza and Lucy in one voice.

Kaelys's breathing stopped for a second, before she let out a snarl of rage. Before any of them could think about even reacting, a flash of silver passed before their eyes and embedded itself in her shoulder.

"Kaelys!"

Gray's anger faltered at the sight. The black-haired girl now had some sort of medical blade stuck beyond the hilt in her shoulder, blood already seeping through her clothes. It was obvious she had been the one controlling it with her telekinesis, too, which scared the crap out of him.

Right here, right now, she could have _killed_ him.

… but she _didn't_.

"I promised…" she gritted her teeth, talking under her breath, taking a step back after another. "I promised… I wouldn't hurt any of them… I promised…"

With that, she ran away.

"Kaelys, wait!"

The Thief Mage had already disappeared, though. Knowing she wouldn't be able to catch up to her, Lucy pulled out one of her keys.

"Open, Gate of the Lion, Leo!"

"My Princess-"

"No time for that, please catch up to Kaelys and make sure she doesn't do anything reckless" practically ordered the blonde.

For a second, the Spirit looked over all the corpses surrounding them. Understanding the gravity of the situation, he nodded firmly before going after the teen.

* * *

.

.

As soon as he was gone, Natsu punched Gray in the face. The Ice Make Mage was sent flying, before crashing on the ground with a pained yelp.

"What the hell, Fire Breath!?"

"I should be the one asking, you jerk!" snapped back the pink-haired boy, unusually angry. "What were you thinking!?"

"I was thinking that we just accepted a goddamn _murderer_ in our home and that it took a fucking _massacre_ to open our eyes!" yelled back the black-haired teen.

"We all knew of her past when she joined us, Gray" Erza narrowed her eyes. "It is true that what happened is… unfortunate. However, you have to understand that she was never told to do otherwise. I will take responsibility for this mission and go meet the mayor. The rest of you go back to the hotel and wait for my return. Hopefully, Kaelys will have returned already, or Loke will have found her"

"Tche"

The two boys glared at each other while Happy tried to calm them down with some of his fish, much in vain.

Lucy approached the red-haired woman, a worried frown on her face.

"Erza… do you think she'll have trouble with the Magic Council?"

"No" assured Requip Mage with a reassuring smile. "As she said, the bandits were wanted alive or dead. She will be fine this time around, but I believe a talk will be needed. Would you like me to leave it to you?"

"That's why I wanted to wait a few more days" sighed the blonde, agreeing. "I knew it might take a turn like this, yet I pushed my doubts aside and-"

"Lucy, what happened isn't your fault, or anyone's" Erza placed her hands on the younger one's shoulders. "Not yours, not mine's, not Gray's, Natsu's, Happy's, or even Kaelys's. It was a an unfortunate accident, and we'll make sure it doesn't happen again"

"… right. Let's go back. Loke isn't back yet, so I guess he's still after her. I just hope she'll be okay"

"You do not seem to fear she might have run away" pointed out the Titania.

"She 'swore allegiance' to Fairy Tail" quoted Lucy, calmer now. "She won't run away, no matter what happens. She was just shocked and didn't know how to handle it. Running is a natural defense mechanism"

"Right. Gray! Natsu! Happy!"

The three that had started fighting again –the anger was partially gone, now leaving place only to mild annoyance- froze.

"H-hai!?"

"We're going. And Gray? I expect you to present a sincere apology to Kaelys once we find her. How you treated her was uncalled for, and it isn't how one should talk to their nakamas, no matter the circumstances" warned the redhead, serious.

He simply looked away, not disagreeing. Satisfied, Erza nodded and spun on her heels, guiding the group out of the forest.

* * *

 **'I told you so'**

"I don't understand… I protected them, did I not?" the girl was sitting on a roof, her knees brought tight to her chest. "Fairy Tail protects their comrades, right? They can count on each other, right? Then why was he so mad? He told me I'm crazy, but I'm not…"

 _'To stab yourself like that, how more reckless can you be?'_

"I promised not to hurt them… I swore I wouldn't… and I'd rather hurt myself than hurt them" she closed her eyes tight, though it wasn't enough to keep the tears from falling. "Fairy Tail doesn't kill, he said… but why? It's not like it matters, right? People live, people die, why did it make him so angry…"

She hid her face in her knees, a slight whimper escaping her lips as blood kept flowing out. She still hadn't pulled out her scalpel, and knew she'd have to take a look at it soon if she didn't want to die.

But there again, did it really matter?

"I don't get it… I don't get it…"

"Found you"

Her purple eyes widened. Startled, she backed away from the sudden presence, only to hiss in pain when she used her injured arm.

"Right, still broken…" she swallowed back some bile.

"Broken?"

Loke –it was the Spirit, no doubt about it- crouched next to her. She eyed him for a few seconds, unsure. She knew he was Lucy's friend, but so was Gray, and he had been angry at her when she left. Loke surely saw what she did, would he be mad too?

"You're bleeding pretty badly too" he frowned. "Can I take a look?"

After another moment of hesitation, she let him look at her arm. He prodded it gently, though it still hurt.

"Yup, definitely broken" he hummed. "How the hell did you managed that?"

"The mage threw me to a tree" she answered, her throat dry. "It broke at he impact"

"Why don't you tell me what happened while I take care of you shoulder?"

Biting her lower lip, she then let him sit next to her. As he examined the wound, she decided to explain.

Who knows, maybe he'd tell her what she did wrong.

"We were in the forest. Happy got captured, and Natsu tried to help him, but activated a trap. I flew above everyone to get a better look, and realized they were trapped in a magic field. They weren't fighting anyone, just illusions. I took care of the Illusionist, and killed the bandits. I let my guard down, though, and the Puppeteer caught me by surprise. He tried to control me, but I didn't let him. After that, he said he was going to control everyone too, and I got angry. So, I killed him too, using Nirvana to reverse his own magic. The others were freed from the illusion, but Gray got mad at me and started yelling and saying that I was crazy –I'm not!- and I got angry too but I promised I wouldn't hurt them so I stabbed myself because if I didn't, then I would have stabbed Gray, and that would mean hurting him, which would mean I broke my promise, and I- FUCK!"

Loke had pulled out the scalpel, effectively shutting her up. More blood flown out, but he was already bandaging the wound with a piece of her ripped cloak.

"Why did you kill the bandits, Kaelys?"

His tone held no accusation, merely mild wonder. And for a second, the girl stiffened.

Why _did_ she kill them?

"Because they were going to kill Lucy, Erza, Natsu, Gray and Happy" she then answered with a 'duh' tone. "I killed the bandits before they could kill them, that's all"

"Why didn't you just knock them out, then?"

"… I don't know" she blinked, now confused. "Why shouldn't I have? I don't understand, what's so bad about killing them? I mean, they were the enemy. Plus, they were going to die anyway. We all do. What's the big deal?"

"How should I put it…"

The Spirit finished bandaging her shoulder and handed her back the scalpel. She took it and hid it back in her boot, surprised he gave it back so easily.

"Life is… precious" then said the lion, wiping away what was left of her tears. "Each is important, because each brings a… balance, of some sort. To every light, there is a shadow. To each life, there is a death. But, look at it the other way around"

She thought for a second about his words.

"Each death… has its life?" she answered, unsure.

"Exactly" he smiled encouragingly. "Before reaching death, a person has had many experiences, feelings, adventures... A human gathers knowledge all his life, and has the chance to live a way that we, Spirits, cannot. Humans die, it's a fact. But… that's why life is precious. Because each second passing is one worth living, no matter what some people might believe about others or themselves"

"I'm confused"

The Lion chuckled, rubbing the back of his with a sheepish grin.

"Well, that's the vision of the Spirits, so it's kind of hard to explain" he apologized. "Let's put it that way: what are you doing right now?"

"… talking to you?"

"Yes" he agreed, slightly amused by her confusion despite the slight gravity of the situation. "You're also breathing, hurting, you're gaining experience, you're making new bonds, you're _living._ Why are you living?"

"It's not like I had a choice in the matter" she retorted with a huff.

"True, but it's not like you're trying to die either, right?" he pointed out, raising an eyebrow. "From what I've gathered, you're doing your best to stay alive. Why is that?"

"I don't know" she seemed even more troubled now.

"It's because you want to live, simple as that" he shrugged. "Now, think about those you killed. They too had a life. They too wanted to live. But now, they can't. Why?"

"… because I stole it from them" her eyes widened.

"That's why killing people is considered bad" he concluded. "Because you're stealing their chance at living. Kind of"

"I see"

Her eyes downcast, she stared at her hands. They were bloody, sticky. The sensation was very familiar, fitting her skin like perfectly matching gloves. Ever since her first kill, she never cared about it. She never enjoyed it –it was dirty, after all- but she never cared about the sensation.

But now…

"It's heavy…" she whispered, her throat constricting. "Why is it so heavy _now_?"

He got back on his feet, patting her head.

"Because you're aware now. This is the weight of all the lives you have taken, and it's a weight that won't ever go away" he answered, solemn. "However, don't let this weight be a burden. Use it as a mean to grow even stronger, and to atone. That's really all I can tell you"

Clenching her fist –she couldn't really move her other hand, what with her broken limb-, she took a deep breath, before raising back up.

"Thank you, Loke. I swear… I swear, I won't ever kill someone again!"

"You do that. Now, let's bring you back to the hotel and have your injuries treated. I'm not a doctor either"

"Right"

Before she could get back on her feet, though, the Spirit had already gathered her in his arms and jumped to another roof. Terrified at the sudden movement, she clenched her hand tightly to his suit.

She had always been in control of her flights, and the knowledge that she currently _wasn't_ was _not_ a comfortable thought.

"Scared of heights, Kae-hime?"

"You wish" she scowled at the nickname.

Kae wasn't a princess. A weapon? Not anymore. A monster? Sometimes. A hero? She wished. But a Princess? Never in a thousand years.

For only answer, though, Loke laughed.

* * *

When they arrived at the hotel, it was only to find the rest of the group already there and awaiting their return.

"Kaelys!" Lucy exclaimed in relief when they entered the room. "Thank you, Loke"

"No problem, Princess. You should take a look at her injuries, though" he replied, setting the girl on the nearest bed. "I'll see you later~"

With that, he disappeared in a flash of light.

Instantly, the blonde rushed to the dark-haired girl's side.

"What were you thinking!? Hurting yourself like that…" she scolded, checking the wound made by the scalpel. "Where did you find a scalpel anyway?"

"It's mine" simply replied Kaelys, looking away. "I'm sorry for worrying you"

"You should be sorry about injuring yourself needlessly" huffed the blonde, putting on real bandages. "You'll heal yourself in the morning, once you've regained enough of your magic"

"Hai"

"Loke mentioned more than one injury" Erza narrowed her eyes at her. "Where else have you been hurt?"

"My right arm's broken"

"What!?"

As Lucy lost her cool once more and left to go get a full medical kit, Erza shook her head.

"Anyhow, I am glad you have returned. I must admit that I have been worried-"

"I'm not running away" Kaelys bluntly cut her off. "I'm with Fairy Tail, now. The only way for me to leave you guys would be for the Guild to be disbanded or to die"

"Let's not reach such lengths" sweatdropped the redhead.

"That's the spirit!" however cheered Natsu, rubbing his fist against Gray's head rather roughly. "See? Told ya she's with us!"

"Shut it, flame-brain!"

"No fighting!" snapped Erza.

Lucy came back at that moment, and started treating her arm, muttering under her breath about 'reckless power houses who can't look after themselves'.

Kaelys looked over at Gray.

"I cannot apologize for my actions today" she said seriously. "But I do apologize for failing to understand sooner the consequences of said actions. You were only trying to protect your home and your family, and I am sorry for acting so recklessly"

With that, she bowed. Gray spluttered, not having expected her to apologize. Before he could say anything, though, she raised her head again.

"I understand, now" she added, more softly. "Loke explained it to me. As for the Dark Magic in my possession…"

Requiping her Book and ignoring Lucy's protests to straining her magic even more, she turned the pages until she found what she was searching for.

"Nirvana: Reverse Magic" she read. _"Erase"_

There was a flash of blinding light for half-a-second, before the Book disappeared, Nirvana's magic forever lost.

Gasping, Kaelys stumbled forward, though Lucy caught her.

"That could have waited for tomorrow! Stop being so reckless!"

"Are you okay, Kaelys?" Happy looked up at her with worry.

"I'm fine. It just feels like emptying your full magic reserves with nothing to fill it back" grunted the teen. "I'll be in top shape tomorrow, though my magic reserves will have diminished, that's for sure…"

She shook her head, reporting her attention on Gray. He looked away, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I'm sorry" she repeated.

And only an idiot wouldn't be able to notice the sincerity in her voice.

The boy groaned, passing an hand over his face.

"I'm… sorry too" he finally gave in, though unable to look at her. "I'm still not okay with what you did… but I guess I can understand why you did it. Let's just… don't do it again, okay?"

"Of course"

"Gray, you ass!" however protested Natsu. "What kind of apology is that?"

"Hey, I said I was sorry! What more do you want me to say, pepper-breath?"

"Why you, damn pervert!"

"Pervert!?"

"Yeah, your clothes are off again, popsicle brain!"

"Damn it!"

As they started fighting again, Lucy finished bandaging her arm. Satisfied with her work for now, she then ruffled Kaelys's hair, smiling.

"I'm still angry about you just running off while you were hurt" she warned. "But… I'm proud of you"

Kaelys stilled as the blonde mage returned to speak to Erza.

"She's… proud of me…?"

She couldn't remember when was the last time she heard someone say that, or even if it ever was directed at her before.

 _'See? She can trust them. They're all trying to fit together, and that should be enough. Right?'_

 **'Shut up'**

And, while none noticed, Kaelys smiled, slightly rubbing her wrists.

* * *

 **Okay, so loads of things happened in this chapter. I believe everything was fairly clear, but don't hesitate to ask questions.**

 **First, I believe that Kaelys's confusion has its place. After all, never was it said to her that it was wrong to kill, per se, and never was she brought to understand why. I don't know if Loke's explanation made any sense, though it did to me ;-)**

 **As for the others' reactions... well, Lucy was shocked, but also kind of knew something like that would happen. Erza had already seen the horrors of death back at the Tower of Heaven, and also understood why Kaelys did what she did -to protect them and such-. Natsu... well, don't tell me he never killed anyone by accident with his powers. Fire is one of the hardest to control, so some of his ennemies might have died from injuries or something. Plus, I don't see him as the kind to get actually angry, or at least not right away. And he also understands Kaelys, kind of.**

 **Gray, though... he saw death with the attack of Deliorah. He reacted so strongly because of shock, yes, but also because she used Dark Magic to get what she wanted -the dude's death-. Coupled with the one-sided massacre, it reminded him strongly of the attack of the Demon on his village: her as the monster and the ennemies as him when he survived the attack (weak, powerless, etc).**

 **Anyway, I'll let you judge for the rest. Hope you enjoyed it!**


	9. To Have A Second Chance

**God guys, I love you so much! You're all apparently loving to read my story as much as I love writing it, and I seriously couldn't ask for more. I just finished up a really long chapter too, so here's as promised: the ninth chapter!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

They received the reward for the mission, Lucy collected her new key, and the whole massacre had been covered. The villagers took care of… well, cleaning things up, and the Rune Knights came for the Puppeteer, who was apparently an escaped prisoner.

On their way back to Fairy Tail, the atmosphere was tense. Now that the actual shock of the mission had wore off, everyone was extremely aware of what had happened and what they had seen.

Lucy had no doubts she'd have trouble sleeping for a while, though she didn't mention it. Kaelys felt sorry enough as it was and learned the lesson, though more harshly than the blonde would have liked.

The Master had already been informed before they reached the Guild, and graciously omitted to mention it to their fellow guildmates. The teen had already enough of a hard time fitting in, what with her past as a member of Oración Seis. If she was to be rejected now, then there'd seriously be no going back.

Natsu, though mildly disgusted –it hadn't exactly been _clean-,_ just pushed it in the back of his mind. What was done was done and, frankly, all Mages were at risk of loosing their lives everyday. It was no different for criminals, and it just ended up being at the girl's hand for these guys. Even if he didn't like the idea of it reflecting on Fairy Tail, he knew people would probably never even consider the possibility of the guild having a hand in it. He could guess even that much, no matter how carefree –stupidly- he could act at times.

Erza had gotten over it. Back in the Tower of Heavens, things were always ugly, sometimes more than what she witnessed the day before. She felt terrible, for she should have been able to prevent it as the Team Leader, but knew it was merely another obstacle they would all have to overcome.

Kaelys forgot, kind of. While she now understood why it was bad to kill people, and learned what 'guilt' was -more or less-, she still couldn't bring herself to care much. Yes, stealing their chances at life put an uncomfortable weight on her heart, but its not like she knew these people either.

In the end, they were lost for the greater cause, so to speak.

Gray, though… Gray still kept his distances. He tensed whenever she approached, remembering each time how easily she wiped out all the bandits without even breaking a sweat –an arm, maybe, but that was after-. While they both apologized, he couldn't bring himself to feel at ease with her.

Yes, Kaelys was a kid. Yes, she obviously had lost a few screws over the years. But did it fully excuse the bloody mess she had created?

Not in his books, it didn't.

It was like with Deliorah, when the monster destroyed his village. When that happened, he felt so ridiculously helpless… and that same, horrible helplessness came back when she went on her little killing spree.

How was he supposed to feel? How was he supposed to react? She killed them and he couldn't do a damn thing but watch as it happened.

When they arrived to the Guild, needless to say that they were all eager to part ways for the rest of the day, each planning on returning to a familiar routine as soon as possible so as to forgot what they had witnessed.

"Are you coming, Kae?"

The girl glanced back to the Guild Hall, away from Lucy.

"If you don't mind… I think I'll stay at the Guild for an hour or two" simply replied the girl. "I'm allowed to, aren't I?"

"Uh? Yeah, sure"

The blonde watched as her charge left and went inside, unsure of what to make of this new development. After all, Kaelys had never initiated contact with the others for the few days she had been present, always seeking Lucy's reassurance.

 _Who knows, maybe she's warming up to everyone._

* * *

 _._

 _._

"I'll leave Lucy and the others alone for a while" muttered Kaelys, closing the door behind her. "It's obvious they're wary now, I should leave them be…"

 _'_ _Well, they did assist at a massacre. Leave them some time, I'm sure they'll be back on trail by tomorrow'_

 **'** **Ugh. They're just feeble-hearted. Who reacts that strongly at a little blood?'**

 _'_ _Little blood? It was a bloody mess that smelled of intestines and released excrements on miles!'_

 **'** **How charming'**

"Guys, shut up" she grunted.

"What'd you do?"

Startled, the girl was about to break all the bones in the hand now on her shoulder, before faintly recalling her promise, and directing her surge of power to the nearest chair –which exploded-.

"Okay…" the black-haired man let her go, raising an eyebrow. "Nervous much, pipsqueak?"

"Don't come from behind" she simply answered, frowning. "I might hurt you"

"Fair enough" he hummed. "Now, what'd you do?"

The teen stared at the older boy for a moment, but was unable to recall his name. Seeing her struggle, he let out a really, really weird laugh.

"Gihihi, Gajeel Redfox. So, you're the shrimp that was with Oración Seis?"

"Kaelys" she simply answered. "And yes, I am. Though I am no shrimp"

She was obviously missing the point of the comparison. The Mage sweatdropped, before going back to the main subject. The first thing he had smelled when she came in was the blood. Even though none was to be seen, the smell clung to her like a second skin.

"So, who died?"

She stared for half-a-second, before looking away.

"The bandits we were after. They were going to hurt Lucy, Happy, Natsu, Erza and Gray, so I killed them"

"Well, that sure explains the weird air you guys had when you arrived" he snorted, gesturing for her to follow him. "And what, they saw everything?"

"It wasn't done very cleanly, to be honest"

He nodded, taking a seat at the bar. After a moment, she did the same. While most people would be wary around Gajeel, she found herself finding console in the aura they shared.

An aura tainted with red.

"Well, about damn time they lost some of their goddamn illusions"

"Illusions?" echoed Kaelys, confused.

"Look kid, you and I aren't that different" he pointed out. "I killed, you killed, all for the sake of missions. Ain't something I'm proud of, but ain't something I regret either. It's what was necessary. In that stupid cheery Guild, though, killing isn't exactly appreciated"

"Fairy Tail doesn't kill" Kaelys repeated Gray's words almost religiously.

"Exactly" nodded the Iron Dragon Slayer. " _But,_ the world ain't just black and white, as they've been believing since day one. You know that, I know that, and now they do to. It was about time they opened their eyes, is all. They'll come around before the day is over, though, knowing them"

"Gray was really angry, though" she mumbled, her eyes to the floor.

"To hell with that pansy, it's not like he can change what happened" shrugged the Steel Mage.

He gestured for Mira to come over, and the white-haired woman approached with a gentle smile. When she noticed Kaelys, her gaze softened.

 _Master must have told her,_ the Iron Dragon Slayer mused internally.

If there was one thing Gajeel could respect about the she-demon, it was that she was one of the few in this happy-go-lucky Guild to know about the true shades of this stupid world they were living in. Her very magic was considered demonic and, believe it or not, but many had died when she lost control of her powers in the past. It wasn't something much known, but her Take-Over Magic was dangerous, for herself and for those around her.

Now, Gajeel wasn't saying Fairy Tail knew nothing of darkness. All the members he could think of –those a minimum worth remembering, at least- had a dark past, or at least some sorrow tainting it. However, what they failed to realize was that people weren't made of just evil or just good, and that pissed him off sometimes.

"Hello, Kaelys. Did you enjoy your first mission?" then asked Mirajane.

"It was interesting" answered the girl, tilting her head in wonder. "In a good way, I guess. I had always been alone on the missions before, or it was always about the Dark Guilds under our command. Helping people was different. I think it was the first time people were greeting me with cheers instead of terrified screams"

Gajeel choked on his drink, laughing, and Mirajane simply offered another gentle smile. The teen's blunt honesty was refreshing, to say the least, if not a little scary at times. However, none of the two minded.

Gajeel because he found it funny as hell, and Mira simply because she could see beyond the teen's harsh words that she was simply stating a fact.

"Anyway, what would you like to drink? Or maybe you'd like to eat?" then proposed the barmaid.

The teen was about to answer that she didn't have any money, before remembering that she was just coming back from the mission and thus, had her pockets full.

"Orange juice" ordered the girl. "Please"

"Coming right up" winked the the woman.

"Orange juice?" repeated the Dragon Slayer.

Kaelys simply shrugged. She liked the taste because it made her remember that she no longer was in the asylum, where her meals had been bland, without any taste.

"There you go sweetheart"

"Thank you"

Kaelys offered a few Jewels, and prodded the liquid with the tip of her finger, before bringing it to her lips. After a few seconds, seeing as nothing happened, she started to sip on her drink, relishing in the flavor now engulfing her taste buds.

 _She tested her drink to see if there was something in it,_ the boy next to her realized.

"So, kiddo" Gajeel downed his own drink. "What happened to have you so messed up?"

"I'm not crazy" she instantly shot him a glare.

"Never said you were"

 _'_ _He's not lying'_

 **'** **Don't answer! You know nothing of that guy!'**

 _'_ _Well, at least he didn't treat her like a ticking bomb since she arrived!'_

"Torture. Abandonment. Treason. More torture" she listed off.

"Ain't that fun" grunted the red-eyed wizard.

"Not as fun as getting them back for it, that's for sure"

Gajeel let out his weird laugh again, slamming his cup on the counter.

"You're a riot kid"

 _'_ _Well, there's one who seems to appreciate your humor'_

 **'** **Must be as fucked up as she is'**

Both voices fell quiet when, for the first time, she ignored the jab at her mental state, and engaged in a conversation about past bloody missions with the Dragon Slayer.

* * *

When Kaelys returned to Lucy's apartment, the sun was slowly setting down. Going in, she found the blonde already eating, the table set for two.

"Oh, you're back" beamed the Celestial Mage. "Come on, now, it's getting cold"

"Right"

The teen took a seat, and quickly checked the food, before eating. If Lucy noticed, she didn't say a word about it.

It was silent, until the blonde sighed, and placed down her fork.

"I wanted to apologize"

Kaelys startled at that.

"Apologize?" she repeated under her breath. "What does she wants to apologize for…?"

"Because I knew this was going to happen" admitted Lucy, looking away. "I knew that there were still many things you didn't know about our way of doing things, yet I let you go anyway, and you got hurt because of that-"

"I got hurt because of myself. You are not to blame" replied the teen.

"Still… from now on, I'll do my best to look out for you! I promise!"

At the girl's sudden eagerness, Kaelys leaned away slightly.

"… look out… for me…?"

"I know we haven't known each other for very long, but I already feel as if we're connected" insisted the mage, serious. "And I want to help you, in whatever way I can. So, I'll do my best to be a great friend, I swear it! After all, you're a part of Fairy Tail, now, and Fairy Tail is family"

"… friend?"

 _'_ _Maybe you should consider it. I mean, you_ are _going to pass the next five years together. Plus, she's trustworthy'_

 **'** **To what extent? Though I like Blondie, there's always a limit to what a person can take, ya know. When she sees how fucked up you really are, do you think she'll still be able to manage?'**

"Fairy Tail… is family…?" then murmured the girl.

Her mind wandered back to her father, who killed himself when she was but a child, if not a baby –she couldn't really remember-. She thought back to Miss Kelly, who betrayed her, and her mother, who left her alone in that hellhole. She lingered on Doctor Something's face, still unable to rememebr his name despite the two years of torture he had put her through.

Family had never been an option for her. Family meant trusting people, and that's something she couldn't afford to do freely. The only ones she could trust were the voices, after all.

Oración Seis hadn't been a family. She was loyal to Brain because it was the only mean to survive in this new world. As for the rest of the members, she had grown to actually like them: Angel with her soft side, Cobra and his asshole comments, napping with Midnight, playing chess with Hoteye, sparing with Racer…

It still wasn't family, though, even if she genuinely regretted that she wouldn't ever see them again.

The girl then looked down at the warm plate of food before her. She glanced at the clothes on her back, and the roof above her head. She stared down at her guild mark, fully displayed since she got rid of the cloak.

"… family?"

Crimson red would always be tainting her hands. There would always be a shadow in her eyes, burns on her body, and scars in her heart. Her mind would always be troubled by ghosts, and she couldn't erase her past, no matter how hard she wished she could. Fairy Tail, though… no, Lucy brought back a light to chase the shadows in those purple orbs that were originally hated by most. She gave her clothes to hide the burns, and gave comfort to heal the scars. She gave support to ease her mind, and reassurance to chase the ghosts.

Lucy gave her a chance to look forward instead of stalling in the past.

The red would never go away. The shadows, the burns, the scars would never disappear. The ghosts would always haunt her, and her past was a part of her life she could never forget. However…

However, maybe this was _it._ Maybe this was her chance. Not to become someone new, but to become someone _better._

 _'_ _For once, don't worry about things. It's your chance, and you deserve to take it'_

 **'** **Well, I guess that if worst comes to worst, you can always wipe them out once you're free or something'**

Kaelys took a deep breath, before looking back to Lucy, who was awaiting her answer with slight tension.

"… can I call you nee-san, then?"

* * *

They passed the evening watching movies and eating popcorn. It's only passed midnight that they finally agreed to go to bed. Lucy summoned Plue, before leaving the small Spirit in the teen's company for the rest of the night.

Sitting down on the mattress –they still needed to buy her a bed- and leaning against the wall, Kaelys hugged the Spirit tightly. Nikolas cooed, hugging back and snuggling in her arms for some more warmth.

Once she found a comfortable position, the teen drifted to sleep. This time around, no nightmare came to trouble her night.

* * *

The next morning, Kaelys woke up alone. Guessing the Spirit had returned to its own world while she was asleep, she didn't make a fuss about it. After all, while his Gate wasn't taking much magic, keeping it open for so many hours _unconsciously_ wasn't an easy feat.

"Oh, morning, Kae!"

"Morning, Lucy-nee" mumbled the teen, rubbing her eyes.

"Slept better?"

"Yes. Thank you"

"No trouble"

The two exchanged a smile, Lucy's bright and wide, Kaelys's smaller, but as genuine.

 **'** **You're really going for it, then? All this sisterly crap and family jazz?'**

 _'_ _She has nothing to loose, right?'_

 **'** **She could be hurt again!'**

 _'_ _If she lives her life doubting everything and holding back because she might be hurt, then she won't ever get anywhere'_

 **'** **She doesn't has to get anywhere, she just wants to be free, right?'**

"And what if I want more, uh?" retorted suddenly the girl in question, slightly annoyed to be excluded from the conversation when she was the main subject.

"What would you need more?" wondered Lucy, curious.

"Oh, no, just the voices annoying me" Kaelys answered, somewhat apologetically.

"Right… anyhow, I'll go get some of the pancakes I made yesterday morning" the blonde proposed, going into the kitchen. "Want some?"

"Yes, please!"

As soon as she exited the room, the teen reported her attention on the still ongoing conversation.

 _'_ _\- she has a right to decide'_

 **'** **I'm just saying she's taking things fast! If she wants to be free, then bonds will only tie her down'**

"What if I want more, then?" she repeated her earlier words.

 **'** **What 'more' could that be?'**

"… I don't know" she bit her lower lip, glancing around. "It's just… I don't want to be alone either, you know?"

 _'_ _Then you don't have to be. Fairy Tail is your new beginning. You can be free AND have friends you can count on'_

 **'** **The same could be said of her mother until she dumped her in a fucking asylum'**

"This isn't the same" protested the purple-eyed Mage. "I was already Fairy Tail's enemy when we met, yet they invited me to join and are ready to welcome me with open arms despite our differences. That has to count for something, right?"

 _'_ _Exactly'_

 **'** **Tche. Just don't come crying when they hurt you too'**

"It won't happen" swore the girl.

And somehow, she found herself believing this assurance.

* * *

Later on that day, Lucy offered to create a contract before Kaelys. The teen was curious about the blonde's magic, thus accepting right away. Sitting eagerly on the couch, the Celestial Mage grinned at her before brandishing the key before her.

"It must be the one she received for the completed mission…" mused the teen.

"I am linked to the path to the world of Celestial Spirits, now! O spirit, answer my call and pass through the gate!" chanted Lucy with a confident tone. "Bootes!"

 **'…** **she got a nice ass'**

 _'_ _Don't you start!'_

There was a flash of light, before a man appeared in the middle of the room. He seemed in his fifties, with brown hair going gray and sharp, green eyes. Rubbing his beard, he took a look around, before reporting his attention on the one who had summoned him.

"Might you be my new Master?" he asked, his tone even.

"I am your new _contractor_ , yes" confirmed Lucy with a kind smile. "But I don't like being called 'master' or any of the sort. Just call me Lucy, or Princess if you really want to"

"… very well, Miss Lucy" he agreed, deep in thoughts. "Anyhow, I am Bootes. I can be summoned once a week, whenever you want, for an hour. I am an assassin type of Spirit"

 **'** **Now** ** _that_** **sounds like a fun Spirit'**

The two girls startled at that, and Lucy blinked.

"Assassin type? What do you mean?"

At that, the man looked away, a shadow covering his eyes.

"I can create poisons" he explained, his tone somber. "I am usually used for assassination missions, to get rid of my Master's enemies and such"

"Oh, so you're a support type" relaxed Lucy.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Well, I would suppose you can create antidotes if you can create poisons, can you not?" she raised an eyebrow. "And poisons aren't always used to kill. They can cover a much larger brand of operations, mainly tranquilizers, medicines, drugs… I want to make one thing clear, Bootes: I will never send you to kill someone, and even less to beat my adversaries for me. I may be somewhat weak, but I know how to handle myself, and I rather fight alongside my Spirits than let them do the work"

"… I see"

Finally, a smile graced his lips. It was faint, but genuine.

"I am happy that my key ended in your possession, then" he bowed slightly. "I will gladly help whenever you will need me"

"And I'm happy to have you as a friend, Bootes" she replied kindly. "See you next week!"

"Farewells, Miss Lucy"

With that, he disappeared. Lucy let out a satisfied sigh, and Kaelys whistled lowly.

"Well, that one's cool" she remarked. "Can you imagine if Angel had had him? We wouldn't have had to worry about Cobra growing hungry anymore! Damn, now I want to go see him just to rub it in his face… wait, he escaped Nirvana, didn't he? Oh, of course he did. Cubellios must have gotten him out of there. Must have been captured by the Rune Knights, though, along with the others… I hope they're okay… maybe I could go see them?"

The Celestial Mage stiffened at the mention of the white-haired mage's name, glancing at Kaelys as the girl mumbled under her breath.

"Kae…" the teen snapped her eyes at her. "I know that they were your… friends, but you have to be careful. The Magic Council always have had their eyes on Fairy Tail because of our reputation, but it only worsened when we accepted you within our ranks. They're digging for excuses to use for the Guild to be disbanded, and if they ever catch you trying to do something…"

The black-haired girl stared for a moment, before looking away, shame clearly written over her features.

"I'm sorry… I don't want Fairy Tail to be disbanded" she apologized, rubbing her wrists. "I just wish they could be here too… they never had a choice either, you know?"

"What do you mean?" Lucy couldn't help but ask.

Kaelys shifted in her seat for a second. She had learned everything because of how much time she spent with each member, and they usually ended up babbling about their life from before. However, none of them had actually asked her to never tell anyone, so it was okay, right?

"They're from a place called… err, Dark Tower? Shithole? Tower…"

"… the Tower of Heaven?" blanched the blonde.

"That!" confirmed the teen, nodding. "Anyway, they were all kidnapped when they were children and forced to build that thing. At one point, though, Zero showed up and took them away. He trained them with their Magic and made them grow stronger because they would eventually become his weapons or, otherwise said-"

"Oración Seis" understood the Celestial Mage, her tone darker.

"Exactly. I came along a year or so ago, and Zero at first simply wanted to make me a new member. The more the merrier, right? But I learned Thief Magic, and it gave him the idea of me copying Nirvana, which led us to where we are today"

"… what could they possibly gain from activating Nirvana, though?" then wondered the blonde, hoping she wasn't crossing a line.

The Thief Mage thought about it for a moment.

"What we all wanted: freedom" she finally offered with a slight shrug. "They're not bad people. Sure, they did really awful things, but so did I, you know? They weren't after destroying the world or anything, they just wanted to make a place for themselves inside it. And, if it meant killing some people to do so, why not? They had no one but themselves… _we_ had no one but ourselves"

Kaelys let her eyes wander outside the window, where she sun was shining brightly.

"We may be a bunch of monsters, but it doesn't makes us any less humans" she concluded, slightly clenching her fist. "Can one really be blamed for wanting a place to belong to?"

"… no" finally gave in Lucy, looking down. "No, they can't. Hey, Kae?"

"Hmm?"

"… tell me more about you and Oración Seis"

"Sure"

* * *

.

.

"Good morning~!"

"Gah! L-Loke!?"

"Kae-hime, what a joy to rejoice with you at once!" cried dramatically the Spirit, twirling her around.

"Let me go!"

She managed to escape from his grasp, and glared at him. He simply smiled, obviously teasing her.

"What, not happy to see me?"

"I don't know"

He sweatdropped at little at her bluntness, before going back to his cheery attitude, slinging an arm around her shoulders.

"We get to spend the day together, isn't it fantastic?" he asked.

"The day?" repeated Kaelys, surprised. "Where's Lucy-nee?"

He gaped at her for a second, before trapping her in a deadly embrace once more, suffocating the poor girl.

"So cute!"

"Loke!" protested the girl. "Where's Lucy-nee? Doesn't she want to spend the day with me? Oh, I must be a burden for her again, of course she has other things to do than keep an eye on me… then again, I'm supposed to always be with a member of Fairy Tail… wait, Loke's got a mark, so I guess it counts. But he's a Spirit, is it the same jurisdiction? I-"

"Alright, calm down a second" the Leader of the Zodiacs ruffled her hair, earning a squawk of protest. "Lucy had something to discuss with the Master, but she didn't want you to be alone and so asked me to hang out with you until she's done"

"Oh, alright" blinked the teen, swatting his hand away. "Guess I'll grab some breakfast, then. Do you want some?"

"You know how to cook?" he seemed surprised.

"No, but it mustn't be that hard, right?"

* * *

.

.

Kaelys had never been so wrong in her life. Cooking was harder than whatever hellish training Cobra had put her through when she arrived, and that was saying something. Damn it, even learning Thief Magic had been easier, that much she was sure!

"That's it, you're not touching a frying pan ever again" swore Loke, covered in flour and some sort of green paste mixed in his hair. "Or a cook book. Or the kitchen in general"

 _'_ **Can only agree on this one'**

 _'_ _Why did you take the flour anyway? You were making toasts!'_

"I already said I was sorry" she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't like cooking anyway. Plus, it's not my fault my Magic snapped!"

"Then again, using Fire Dragon Slaying Magic wasn't exactly the best way to toast the bread" retorted Loke with a scoff.

"Then why didn't you stop me!?"

"Because it was funny!"

"You damn-"

The door of the apartment suddenly opened, making the both of them freeze in their tracks. They turned around as Lucy came in, smiling brightly.

"Hey guys, I'm home- WHAT HAPPENED TO MY KITCHEN!?"

 _'_ _She's going to kill us'_

 **'** **Yeah, no kidding. That chick's scary as fuck'**

Needless to say, Kaelys was no longer allowed into the kitchen.

* * *

The next day, it was decided that Loke would help her out for her training. After some digging, he and Lucy had discovered that while Thief Magic allowed its user to copy the Magics, it didn't mean they could copy their control.

Kaelys had never bothered learning to control the spells she stole. After all, as long as the work was done, the rest didn't matter, even if it was overkill. However, she wanted to cook, not burn down the house. Seeing as it actually demanded some serious control –which she obviously lacked- it didn't turn out in the greatest of ways.

The teen had agreed to train, though begrudgingly. While she loved to train, she had only ever exercised control over her telekinesis, and some of the other members Magic when she was still part of the criminal organization. Also, she would loose even more energy with the spells, seeing as she had to first use her Thief Magic so as to be able to use them.

Yep, a real pain.

When she finally arrived to the clearing that had been chosen as their unfortunate training grounds, Lucy and Loke were already there, apparently discussing something of importance.

When they noticed her, though, they instantly dropped the subject.

 _'_ _Weird'_

 **'** **Terribly suspicious, yes. Be on your guards'**

"No" growled lowly Kaelys. "I promised I'd give them a chance. I won't be the first one to turn my back to them"

At her resolve, the voices could only fall quiet. And, while a doubt still nagged at the young teen's mind, she merely pushed it aside. If she gave in her delusions, then things would only grow worse, that much she knew.

She could only wait and hope she wouldn't regret it.

* * *

.

.

Three days passed with the same routine. Lucy would make breakfast in the morning, then they would head to the training ground. Once there, Lucy would summon Loke, who would then help Kaelys while Lucy herself meditated.

It had been Kaelys's idea. After all, meditating always helped to strengthen one's magical core and sources. So, the blonde was doing her own training. Meditating while keeping Loke's gate open drained her quickly, though, and she whined more often than not about her exhaustion.

Kaelys stopped her from backing down, though. After all, while Lucy was strong, she could be much stronger. She only needed to make some efforts, something she wasn't very keen on doing right now though.

"Hey Kiddo"

"Yo"

If there was one person Kaelys really liked in the Guild, it was Gajeel. The man didn't do sugarcoating –which she considered lying, to some extent-, and he was really fun to hang out with. He also was one of the rare that never believed her to be crazy, which was a plus in her books.

Oh, and he agreed to let her copy his magic once she was done training with those she already had. That _did_ help strengthen the trust.

"So, anything good happened?" he wondered, gesturing for Mira to bring a drink.

"Training" shrugged the teen, sipping at her orange juice. "We stopped earlier, though. Master called Lucy-nee, so we had to come back"

He hummed in understanding, and the barmaid then arrived with a mug, handing it over with her usual smile.

"Hello, Gajeel"

"Thanks Mira"

"Of course. Do you want anything else, sweetheart?" the woman glanced her way.

"Nan, I'm fine"

Mirajane was also really nice to have around. The woman always smiled genuinely, and never took offense to Kaelys's remarks. Also, she often offered her the juice for free, seeing as it wasn't much and the teen usually forgot to bring some money –more like she didn't want to ask some from Lucy, but anyway-.

"Kaelys, dear?"

The girl blinked, turning around to spot Master Makarov on the second floor.

"Master?"

"Would you come in my office for a few minutes please?"

"Uh? Sure"

She shot a wondering look at the Iron Dragon Slayer, who simply shrugged, ruffling her hair as she headed away. She shot him a glare, earning one of his infamous laughing fit.

She was apparently a walking comedy.

Trying to put back some order in the nest that had formed, she flew over to the second floor without much of a thought.

 _'_ _I hope it's not something bad'_

The teen froze, her hand almost touching the handle.

 **'** **Great. Now you've scared her'**

 _'_ _But it's true! I mean, we've only been here for a few days. Why would he call her in his office?'_

 **'** **Who knows?'**

"Guys, you're not helping" she grunted, before going in. "What is it, Master?"

Lucy was also there, sporting a very strange look. It was as if she was barely able to contain her smile, or something. The Master had a much more serious air, though there was a slight twinkle in his eyes that softened his features.

"Come, my child. We have important news to share" he announced.

Growing a little worried, she sat nowadays. When he saw she was paying attention, the small man nodded.

"Alright… Lucy here has convinced me of a certain… project. She has talked to me about your worries for your ex-comrades of Oración Seis and, after talking over the technicalities, I have decided to accept her proposition. I have talked over it with the Magic Council, who has also agreed to take part of said project" he explained.

"What project? What does it have to do with my friends?" blinked the teen, confused.

"From what you have said, the other members of the Guild didn't have much of a choice either. Therefore, the Magic Council has agreed to give them a chance to redeem themselves, just like they did for you" he announced.

The girl's mind went blank for a second.

 _'_ _Wait, does this mean…'_

 **'** **They're joining Fairy Tail?'**

"You mean… they're coming here…?" her voice was small, she didn't dare to believe what was happening. "Joining the Guild like I did? They're… they have a second chance...?"

"Yes"

She opened her mouth, then closed it, unable to come up with anything else to say. Seeing her state, the Master decided to explain the last few details.

"Each member will be given the choice of either joining a Guild –either Fairy Tail, Blue Pegasus, or Lamia Scale-, or staying in jail and pay off their crimes as previously judged. Of course, they cannot all be sent at the same time, or it will hinder their process of rehabilitation. So, the chosen Guild will welcome a new member each three months. The same rules that apply to you will apply to them. Should they prove unable to be restored into society, though, they will be taken back to prison and return to their previous atonement. I know it may seem sudden, but-"

"Thank you" she cut him off, hiding her eyes behind her hands. "I don't think… I don't think you understand exactly what it means to me… what it could mean to _them…"_

The Thief Mage took a deep breath, before looking back at him, determination settling in her purple orbs.

"We won't let you down. I don't think it'll be easy, but none of them are stupid enough to pass that chance" she then assured, before frowning. "At least I think so…"

Makarov chuckled lightly, jumping onto his desk.

"Anyhow, a first member should be joining us at the end of the week. Until then, well, do as usual. I will do an official announcement later today to warn the other members of the Guild. Lucy, child, maybe talking to your Spirits…? After all, they may have a hard time working with Oración Seis members"

"Of course. Thank you again, Master" she nodded, bowing a little.

"No" he shook his head, smiling softly. "Thanks to the both of you. I believe that thanks to your words, a few more people will finally be able to find their own light. Now, off you go! You have training to return to, I believe"

Lucy groaned in despair, making the teen snort. They then both bid goodbye to the old man, before leaving.

* * *

.

.

As soon as the doors close, the Celestial Mage was startled by the sudden embrace Kaelys trapped her into.

"K-Kae?"

"Thank you" whispered the teen, hugging her tightly. "Thank you _so much_ "

After half-a-second, a soft smile stretched Lucy's lips, and she hugged back with as much strength. If there was one thing she had been expecting from the teen, hugging wasn't one of them. After all, since the very beginning, Kaelys hadn't been keen on physical contacts. It meant leaving her back open, something she couldn't afford.

So, for her to actually initiate the contact was an enormous show of trust that Lucy wasn't about to forget.

"Anytime"

* * *

 **Heyyyy, so Oración Seis members joining the party, uh? I hope you don't hate me too much for that one, but I was planning it for a while now. So, which member do you think will end up in Fairy Tail? In Lamia Scale? In Blue Pegasus? The ex-Oración Seis are allowed to chose whatever they want, though which one will it be?**

 **Anyhow, next chapter up: the Daphne Arc, muahaha! And with a little twist of my own, obviously.**

 **Hope you guys liked it, I can't wait to read your reviews!**


	10. Ghost Of The Past

**Hey guys! So, I didn't exactly get much reviews on the last chapter (a special thanks to KathrynthePyro-bitch and emilywoo1014 for their comments) but since I'm still getting favorited and whatnot, I'm still happy! I truly appreciate any support I can get, and I love all of you guys for keeping up with my story!**

 **So, enjoy the tenth chapter!**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

It had now been a week since Kaelys joined Fairy Tail. Her and Lucy quickly accommodated to living together, the training was slowly but surely becoming a routine, and the teen was impatient to see her friends from Oración Seis once more.

Well, impatient and kind of worried. She _did_ turn her back to Cobra after all. Who knew how he'd react when seeing her?

The different reactions of her Guildmates were all defending the same opinion: _bad idea_. However, once Lucy pointed out that they were the same as Kaelys, the protestations died down somewhat, even though distrust was still heavy in the air. After all, everyone had somehow heard of the Spring Village Incident, which kind of put everyone on edge around her. But, When Natsu agreed with Lucy with a goofy grin, saying he trusted her judgment, then everyone shut the hell up. And when the Thief Mage informed them about the Tower of Heaven bit, Erza backed down too.

So yeah, everything was cool now, kind of.

When they arrived at the Guild that morning, Kaelys was about to simply go take a seat in the corner of the room while Lucy went to hang out with Levy. The teen still wasn't that good with the rest of her fellow mages, and they weren't exactly keen on keeping around her either, so she usually stuck with either Mirajane or Gajeel when the celestial maiden went her own way.

Kaelys didn't mind, honestly. She couldn't just stop Lucy from being with her own friends either.

She was about to head to her seat as per usual when she noticed Wendy at the request board. Curious, she approached.

"You're going on a job, Wendy?"

"K-Kaelys-san!"

"Sorry for startling you" apologized the teen.

There was a moment of silence, kind of awkward, before the black-haired mage suddenly remembered exactly what had happened when they first met.

"She must be scared of me…" biting her lips, she turned on her heels to go away.

Wendy was a sweet kid, she didn't want to cause her any trouble.

"W-wait!"

Surprised, Kaelys looked back, and Wendy flushed slightly, playing with the hem of her dress.

"I-I'm not scared, Kaelys-san" she then assured shyly. "You simply surprised me. And yes, I'm looking for a job. I-I heard you went on one with Team Natsu a few days ago. Did it go well?"

"Depends on how 'well' would be defined" shrugged the black-haired girl, hoping not to have to go into the details. "We got the reward, so I guess it counts for something"

The small Dragon Slayer seemed easily impressionable, and Kaelys had already left a bad first impression. If she wanted a chance at these bonding shenanigans, then she'd have to make an effort too, even if it meant keeping her mouth shut.

"Well, as long as everyone's safe, right?" then beamed the younger mage.

"Right. Do you have any idea on what job to take?"

They both turned back to the board, and Wendy bit her lower lip.

"There are just so many… and I'm not sure I'm good enough to complete most of them either" admitted the girl, shame clearly written over her features. "You mustn't have this problem, you're really strong after all"

Kaelys blinked, before smiling and ruffling her hair. Wendy squeaked at the sudden gesture of affection, not having expected it from the black-haired teen.

"You're cute" she grinned. "I'm not strong enough, though, but one day I will be"

"Uh?"

Before any of them could add anything, though, Mirajane showed up with a warm smile and a twinkle in her eyes.

"Would you be interested in one of the requests?"

"W-well… there are just so many" replied Wendy, smiling slightly.

"I see" the woman hummed. "It might be difficult to go on your own for your first job, though. I think it'd be a good idea to go with someone else as an assistant, first. Although you'll only receive a portion of the reward…"

Wendy and Carla exchanged a look, and the young Dragon Slayer seemed appreciative of the idea.

"Assistant, uh?"

"Sure, but for these bunch?"

In a single movement, the four of them looked over at Natsu and Elfman laughing like idiots.

"Yeah, not feeling really safe right now" mumbled Kaelys.

On cue, Happy showed up, stars in his eyes. Before he could say anything, though, Carla turned her back to him.

"Rejected"

He ran back to Natsu, crying. Kaelys frowned a little.

"Shouldn't she be more nice to him…?" she wondered quietly. "He's family, right? Aren't they supposed to be nice to each other, then?"

 **'** **Told ya! Who knows who'll hurt you if you stay here?'**

 _'_ _Calm down! I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation'_

"There's no excuse for hurting family" however retorted the girl.

The white cat glanced at her, before crossing her arms over her chest with a scoff, obviously not too keen on answering to the black-haired girl's comments.

"Did Wendy decide on a job?" Lucy suddenly appeared, Levy next to her.

"No. She said she decided to go with someone else at first" answered Mirajane.

"Come to think of it, didn't you go with Natsu on your first job, Lu-chan?" recalled the blue-haired mage.

"And thanks to that, I've been put in situations where even infinite lives wouldn't be enough" the blonde offered a pained expression.

"Though you wouldn't give it away for the world" pointed out Kaelys.

At that, Lucy beamed at her.

"Ano…"

The girls reported their attention on Wendy, who looked down.

"It's already been a week since I came to Fairy Tail, so I was thinking I should do my first job pretty soon…"

"Then come with Shadow Gear!" proposed Levy with a grin.

"If you're going to, then how about with us?" added Lucy.

Levy instantly protested, and the two girls started bickering about who would take Wendy on her first job.

 _'_ _See, family can bicker without an actual problem'_

 **'** **Yeah? Well wait until one of them fights for real.** ** _That'll_** **be a blast'**

"Why don't you take turns, then?" asked Mirajane.

The two girls instantly agreed.

"So, who's going first?" Kaelys wondered.

Before Wendy could answer, though, Gray suddenly waltzed back into the Guild, heading for Natsu. All stopped what they were doing to listen in, and Kaelys instantly noticed the weird air around the black-haired mage.

She hadn't spoke to him since they separated after the Spring mission. She didn't want to make the first step, fearing it'd make him even madder, so she had kept her distances at first. However, he had went missing a few days ago.

He spoke about Dragons and rumors and whatnot, but she wasn't really paying attention to all of it.

"He's planning something…"

 **'** **Definitely. Better be on your guard, he might target you'**

 _'_ _Stop putting ideas in her head! She's part of his Guild, and Natsu's his best friend! He would never harm them!'_

 **'** **How can you be so sure?'**

"Kaelys!"

"H-hai?"

She startled as Gray suddenly turned to her, instantly noticing how the usual light in his eyes had dimmed somewhat, almost becoming nonexistent. It was however hidden behind a smile, very much fake from what she could tell.

"Heard that Daphne woman was hanging out with someone you might be interested in" he informed, an hand on his hips. "The name 'Elena Cloves' ringing any bell?"

...

...

..

Time seemed to stop as her heart missed a few beats. Her ears ringing at the familiar name, the teen took a step back, her eyes widening in shock.

 **'** **That bitch! How dare she-'**

 _'_ _It's impossible! She can't be here, she's-'_

 **'** **-make her pay, she's the one who-'**

 _'_ _-end up here? If she did, then who else-'_

 **'** **-she's at fault! Break that damn-'**

"… mom…?"

Instantly, the voices stopped talking, and all eyes snapped to her as the single word echoed in the whole Guild hall.

"MOM!?"

Had it been another situation, Kaelys would have laughed at their synchronization. However, now wasn't the time to laugh.

"S-she's here!? How? When? I-I-"

A table cracked in two in a loud ruckus, answering to her panic. Lucy instantly grabbed her shoulders, forcing their eyes to meet.

"Calm down" she instructed softly. "Take a deep breath, that's right. In, out, in, out…"

Doing as told, it took a few more seconds for Kaelys to finally gain back some control over her senses. Once certain she could take it, the teen reported her attention on Gray, who had been staring at her the whole time.

"Where is she?"

"With that Daphne girl, from what I've gathered" he shrugged.

Nodding, the Thief Mage glanced to Natsu.

"I'm coming with you"

He nodded back, serious for once, before his face broke in a grin.

"Ain't that awesome? You're going to see your mother again!"

"Awesome wouldn't be the term I'd use…" she muttered under her breath, too low for anyone to understand.

"I'll come too!" beamed Wendy. "Maybe that Dragon is Grandeeney!"

"Then let's check it out" agreed the pink-haired boy, before turning to Gajeel. "You coming too?"

"No way" instantly scoffed the Iron Dragon Slayer. "It's obviously a sham"

"How can you know that?" protested Natsu.

"And how many times have you said that and gotten tricked?" retorted the red-eyed wizard. "Stories about Dragons are for luring people! You're being used! Try learning a little"

"Then what about my mother?"

Gajeel glanced at Kaelys, who was staring at him with an emotionless face.

"If that woman truly is with that other girl, then who's to say your Dragon isn't?" she pointed out.

He simply grunted, and Natsu ruffled her hair, smiling again.

"That's the spirit! Now let's go, Wendy, Kaelys!"

"I hope it's Grandeeney!" smiled the small girl.

"Just don't let your hopes up" simply sighed Carla.

"Thanks for the decent tip, Gray" then thanked the boy.

"No problem"

For a second, Kaelys almost believed the smile he offered them.

Almost.

 _'_ _I would have fallen for it if he hadn't included you in the group'_

 **'** **Ain't that the truth. He can't stand your face'**

With that, though, they ran out of the Guild without another look behind. No matter what, they needed to clear those rumors. And, while Kaelys wasn't exactly fond of seeing that damned woman once again, she needed to.

After all, if _she_ managed to get there, then who's to say _they_ didn't too?

* * *

The way to the inn indicated by Gray was… long, to say the least, or at least for Kaelys. Obviously, Natsu had had a hard time on the train, what with his motion sickness, and Troia wasn't as effective as it was before, hence why he more or less collapsed on the floor for the whole ride.

Wendy was sweet and all, but obviously still somewhat insecure around Kaelys, apparently afraid of saying or doing something that might trigger the older girl's somewhat unstable mind.

As for Carla… well, let's just say that she was glaring at her suspiciously the whole damn time, ignoring all along Happy's tentative at wooing her with fish. And of course, Lucy hadn't followed, apparently believing it was time for Kaelys to make some more friends.

Deciding to just let everyone be, the Thief Mage simply sat in the farthest corner of the cabin and let her gaze wander outside, muttering under her breath the whole time about the objective of their mission.

 _'_ _If it's truly her, what do we do?'_

 **'** **Kill her'**

"No, we need to know if _they_ came too" refused quietly the girl.

 _'_ _What if it_ isn't _her?'_

 **'** **Flat chance. How many people would know the name 'Elena Cloves', seriously?'**

"One way or another, we still need to find out"

 _'_ _What do we do if she wants to take you back with her?'_

 **'** **Ah, let the bitch try. Just explode her head or something'**

"I promised I wouldn't kill anymore" recalled Kaelys, biting her lower lip. "So I can't kill her either. But she won't be able to take me away. I'm with Fairy Tail, now"

 **'** **You** ** _really_** **believe they're family, don't you? Pathetic'**

 _'_ _Don't call her that! I think she deserves some happiness, after everything that happened to her, and that happiness lies with Fairy Tail, I'm sure of it'_

 **'** **Who's to say they won't stab her in the back as soon as she lets her guard down, eh?'**

"I've had enough of this conversation" she gritted her teeth. "I've already made the decision of trusting Fairy Tail. If I'm hurt in the process, then it'll be my own fault, and I won't ever make that mistake again. But if it does work out, then it'll be worth it, wouldn't you agree? I don't want to debate about this anymore, it's too late to retreat when I'm already moving forward"

 **'…** **tche, whatever. Just be careful'**

 _'_ _That's the spirit!'_

 **'** **Shut up'**

Kaelys tuned them out as they started bickering, feeling the weight of a burning stare. Glancing away from the window, she noticed Carla _still_ glaring, with no Happy or Wendy in sight, Natsu now unconscious.

"I don't trust you" suddenly announced the cat, voice cold and sharp. "You are a danger for Wendy and the rest of the Guild, you Magic is out of control, and you are obviously lacking in mental stability-"

"I'm not crazy!"

"-Do not hurt them"

The curses that were about to roll on the teen's tongue were swallowed back, leaving a bitter taste as silence filled the cabin.

She looked down.

"I won't" she mumbled, fidgeting. "I swore I wouldn't hurt Fairy Tail members. Fairy Tail is family, right? Family doesn't hurt each other"

Carla stared for another moment, the glare not exactly softening, but loosing some sharpness, though still holding heavy distrust.

"I fail to understand you" she clicked her tongue. "One second you act like the wisest of Saints, and the next you are but a child, naïve and –dare I say- _pure"_

"I'm not pure" instantly refuted the Telekinesis Mage with a sharp, resigned laugh. "My hands are covered in blood. I killed so many people that I lost count, and the scent of death will follow me until my my own end. This ain't purity"

"You won't kill anymore, though, will you?" she narrowed her eyes slightly.

"I promised not too, and Fairy Tail doesn't kill" answered seriously the teen.

There was another moment of silence, before the cat finally looked away.

"Good" she hummed.

And that was that.

After a few more seconds, Kaelys returned to contemplating the landscape defiling at high speed, growing somewhat restless.

Yes, a long ride indeed.

* * *

.

.

"This is the traveler's inn, Rise" announced Happy.

After finally getting off the train, Natsu regained consciousness and they were able to go on their merry way.

An hour or so later, they had reached their destination.

"Kind of beat-up, uh?" remarked the boy.

"It seems abandoned" mused Kaelys.

There was no one in sight, and even plants were a rarity in the deserted area.

"Just how much of a shit-hole is this place…?" she made a face.

Wendy snorted, but instantly covered her mouth, her cheeks flushing pink, afraid she might have angered the teen. However, Kaelys simply beamed at her, apparently happy she had made her laugh. Carla ignored it, much to Wendy's surprise, but the younger girl didn't comment on it.

They then headed inside, but the sight was much the same: no life whatsoever.

"There's no one here" Wendy's voice echoed a little.

"There shouldn't be" then replied Carla, staring at something ahead.

They all looked ahead to see what had caught her attention, only to find a strange crystal on the edge of the desk. It started glowing, and Kaelys instantly tensed, her fight-or-flight instincts roaring at the strange device.

"What's that?"

"It's a fully automatic Lacrima-based inn management system" explained Carla, making the teen relax somewhat. "Check-in, check-out, this little thing takes care of all of it"

"So that's why there's no staff!" understood Happy, stars in his eyes.

"What about the customers, then?" the black-haired mage scratched the back of her head, looking around in confusion. "There aren't any either"

"Damn that Gray… it was a fake!" cursed Natsu, hitting his fists together.

"It's too soon to decide that" Wendy intervened with a kind smile, positive as always. "Someone might be there. Why don't we check each room individually?"

"That's a great idea, Wendy" Kaelys gently ruffled her hair.

The little girl could only smile, blushing slightly at the praise, and Carla sighed a little.

 _Guess I'll leave them be for now. I'll still be keeping an eye on her, though. Who knows? She might hurt Wendy without even wanting to._

"Alright, let's split up and take a look" proposed Natsu.

The rest of the group agreed, and each then left in the opposite direction.

* * *

.

.

 **'** **This is becoming weirder and weirder. No one's here, all rooms are empty and the whole place has apparently been unoccupied for a while now'**

 _'…_ _agreed. Plus, now that I think about it, Gray's information seemed oddly specific, didn't it? How did he even know to address the information to you, of all people?'_

"Well, my last name _is_ Cloves too" pointed out Kaelys.

 **'But they don't know that'**

The girl's step faltered, doubts slithering in her mind.

She _never_ told any of them her last name, even Lucy.

"Then how…"

"No one's home" grunted Natsu, suddenly joining her. "This is the last place to check"

Without even realizing it, Kaelys had made her way to the last room of the inn, Wendy and Carla arriving not a second later.

"It's the most suspicious by far anyway" added the pink-haired boy.

At that, the Thief Mage could only agree. The doors were gigantic, the walls colored with bright paints and rainbows, and there even were stuffed animals three times bigger than she was.

 _'_ _Cute!'_

 **'** **Creepy'**

Kaelys hummed for only answer, before glancing to the others.

"What do we do?"

A bad feeling had started settling down, churning the teen's guts and making the pace of her heart fasten. She licked her somewhat dry lips, rubbing her wrists a little.

"Check if someone's there, duh" then replied Natsu. "Oi, anyone's home?"

A second pass with no answer. For that moment, Kaelys wondered if she'd rather no one called back.

"Hai-hai"

 _'_ _There's someone!'_

 **'** **Get ready'**

"I'm not letting my guard down" she assured under her breath.

The others weren't as suspicious, though, more like glad.

"Open up!" asked Natsu. "Are you this Daphne person?"

The door creaked open, and Kaelys noticed that the boy actually tensed a little, apparently sensing some sort of threat too.

 **'** **Maybe he's not as much of an idiot as he seems after all'**

 _'_ _Ain't that a relief'_

A woman half-appeared, munching on some sausage and staring at them with something akin to boredom.

"Hai-hai. I am Daphne-san, and…?"

"I-I'd like to talk with you" the boy instantly dropped his guard.

 ** _'_** ** _Scratch that, he's a moron'_**

"Hai, hai, hai, hai! Talk, hai? Talk!"

The teen was startled by the sudden change in attitude of the woman. Either she was really lonely, or she was planning something.

"Could it be? Even if it isn't! You're a customer!"

"… customer?" echoed the black-haired girl, blinking.

 _'…_ _are you sure it's the good person?'_

 **'** **Ain't the bitch, that's for sure'**

"Come in, come in, come in, please!" she slammed both of the doors open wide. "Hai, hai, hai, hai!"

Before any of them could react, magic circles appeared under each of them, and dragged the whole group inside. Panic started clawing at the back of the teen's mind as darkness suddenly surrounded them, and the doors closed behind them, stopping any tentative of escape.

"This isn't good, we need to get out now…" she was having a hard time keeping a regular breathing.

"K-Kaelys-san…?" Wendy's voice came from her right. "Are you alright?"

"I-I don't deal well… with small spaces…"

Before she could add anything, though, spotlights opened on Daphne, who bowed as fireworks exploded behind her.

"I travel from place to place, the master of spreading beauty around the land! I am named Daphne!" she introduced herself with a smile and loads of sparkles. "No, not 'B' as in 'Beat up'! 'B' as in 'beautiful', 'B' as in 'beauty', 'B' as in 'babealicious'! Hai, hai, hai, hai!"

At that, Kaelys could only sweatdrop, somewhat calming down. While she was still fidgety from being trapped, there was much light, four of her comrades were next to her, and the woman looked more like a saleswoman than a threat.

"And what am I selling, you ask? The diet food of your wildest dreams! I call it… Metamo-chan!" she beamed.

She showed them a box of the weird sausages she had been eating not a minute earlier. As Daphne got angry at Happy for messing up the name, the teen started taking a better look around to find an exit. The doors seemed tightly closed, and there was something weird about the windows…

"Something's going on…" she muttered.

She was well forced out of her inspection, though, seeing as a sausage was shoved in her hands as a free sample. And, while hungry, she truly wasn't tempted.

Next thing she knew, though, they were all sitting on couches as the woman babbled about satisfied customers and whatnot. Kaelys was about to intervene, when she noticed Natsu's state. He was annoyed, that was for sure, and would loose it any second now-

"Hold it!" he finally snapped.

"Hai, hai! I have quite a lot more satisfied customers!" assured the woman, completely daft.

"Stop saying 'hai, hai'!" yelled the boy. "I didn't come here to talk about diet pills!"

"Hai, hai, they aren't pills! I'm talking about Metamo-chan!" she replied.

"I want to talk about Dragons" growled the mage, his fist taking fire.

"Hai, hai, dragons yes?" she adjusted her glasses, still smiling and obviously unbothered by the threatening flames. "So glad you asked! Even dragons can loose weight with Metamo-chan! That's how amazing it is!"

"Damn it, we don't care about your Metamo-chan!" exclaimed Kaelys, very annoyed now. "Just listen to us, for fuck's sake!"

"What terrible language" chided Carla under her breath.

Surprised at the teen's outburst, Daphne stopped talking, and Natsu used the opportunity.

"I'm a Dragon Slayer! I'm searching for a Dragon named Igneel that disappeared seven years ago" he calmed down. "And Wendy's searching for one names Grandeeney. If you've met with one, please tell us which one, where you met, and when you met them"

For once, Kaelys was truly grateful for the awkward that followed. Heavy silence befell the little group, until Daphne spun around to turn her back to them, sucking on one of her Metamo-chan thingy.

"You heard I met a Dragon then?" she mused, her voice taunting. "That was a lie to help sales. Hai, hai!"

"A lie!?" repeated Natsu, making a face.

"Aww…" Wendy looked down, disappointed.

"Gajeel was spot on!" exclaimed Happy.

"I figured as much" sighed Carla, pinching the bridge of her nose.

Seeing how miserable Wendy was, Kaelys placed her head in what was supposed to be a comforting gesture. It was awkward, and she more than probably put too much strength in it, but she was still trying, right?

Figuring as much, the little girl simply smiled at her, grateful.

"Hai, hai" nodded Daphne. "I mean, if I said Metamo-chan had powder ground from the scales of a Dragon, the sales would skyrocket!"

"Scales!?"

"Hai, hai, but of course it's a lie" shrugged the woman. "Where would I get those scales anyway?"

At that, Kaelys lost all envy of joking, and she schooled her features in a cold, emotionless expression.

"I don't like liars, you know" at her voice, Daphne tilted her head her way. "Even less when they lie for their own benefit"

"Oh? But my creations are perfect" retorted the saleswoman, adjusting her glasses over her nose.

She then leaned over Kaelys and poked her nose. The teen instantly bared her teeth at the woman, dangerously close to snapping off her fingers.

"Don't touch me" she growled.

"Everyone's a satisfied customer, and you will be too, Miss Hothead"

"Alright, I've had enough of this" snapped Natsu, stomping towards the doors with his fists clenched tightly. "We're leaving!"

"Wait!" because no matter how she hated the crazy woman, she too had come to get some answers. "What do you know of Elena Cloves?"

Instantly, the air in the room seemed to grow colder, and the light reflected on the saleswoman's glasses weirdly.

"Why, you must be that girl he was talking about, hai, hai" she nodded quickly, giving her a quick once-over. "Hai, hai, now I see it"

"He?"

At that same moment, Natsu kicked the doors open, only to reveal darkness behind them… utter nothingness.

"W-what's that!?" he exclaimed, drawing all's attention.

"The floor's gone!" panicked Happy.

"What's the meaning of this?" blinked Wendy, confused.

"It's a trap!"

Gritting her teeth, Kaelys called forth her Book, already on the defensive and ready to attack at any moment. However, she had to be careful. Usually, she wouldn't really mind controlling her attacks, seeing as she couldn't care less about killing her opponents. However, she had promised Loke she wouldn't kill anymore, so she had to measure her strength.

 **'** **What a waste of time! Why'd you have to promise** ** _that_** **of all things?'**

 _'_ _Don't take your anger out on her! She made the good choice, she can't just go around killing people!'_

"You are birds in a cage" simply answered Daphne, smiling creepily.

"This ain't nothing! Iron Fist of the Fire Dragon!"

Natsu hit the portal-like space, only for the attack to be repelled, sending him flying away. As the others worried about his self-being, Kaelys narrowed her eyes.

"Magic barrier…" she clicked her tongue. "I don't have the Magic needed to get rid of it, and normal attacks won't work either. The only way is to take out the source and hope the spell will disappear along with it"

"A-are you a wizard?" asked Wendy, turning to the woman.

"Hai, hai. Lovely flames you have there" she grinned wickedly. "The Salamander, indeed…"

"She's acting differently" Happy took a step back, frightened.

"She's getting serious" corrected the teen, her fingers twitching. "Wendy, Carla, Happy, stay aside. We don't know what stunt she'll pull"

"B-but-"

"Hai, hai, I've been waiting for a customer like you… a Dragon Slayer!" a dark aura started emanating from the crazy lady.

"Really?" Natsu didn't want to joke around anymore.

Instantly, though, the crazy woman found back her demeanor from the beginning.

"Hai, hai, hai, you'll understand soon enough" she handed him a Metamo-chan. "Just try to relax for now. How about one of my creations?"

"I don't want any!" a tick mark appeared on the boy's forehead.

"Wendy, check the windows" murmured the black-haired girl.

"R-right!"

The smaller girl had hoped they could escape, but had to come to an understanding when the same darkness was revealed behind all of the windows.

"We're surrounded" she realized.

"Hai, hai, hai, hai… quite impressive Magic, don't you think?" remarked Daphne in a sing-song voice.

"I'll blast it to smithereens!"

"Natsu, don't!"

But the boy wasn't listening, and he attacked the barrier once more. This time around, though, it wasn't the weird Magic that stopped him, but…

"Ice!?"

"Gray!"

Kaelys stiffened at the name, spinning around to see none other than the black-haired mage now standing in the doorway. He had a shadow over his eyes as he stared down at his friend.

 _'_ _I've got a baaad feeling about this'_

 **'** **Ain't it obvious? He's a fucking traitor, that's what!'**

"No, he's not!" instantly protested the teen quietly, though unsure. "He must have a reason… he must…"

"Well, look at you, Natsu" his voice was as cold as his ice.

The others didn't seem to notice, though.

"Gray-san!"

"Gray, where did you come from?"

"Oi, Gray, the information you got was a sham!" cursed the pink-haired boy. "There's something seriously wrong with this Daphne chick"

"It wasn't a sham"

With that, he went to stand next to the woman, who was watching everything unfold with obvious satisfaction.

"Good enough?" he muttered.

"Hai, hai, hai, hai" she placed an arm around his neck, barely even reaching his shoulders. "Welcome, Gray Fullbuster"

"You're… you two know each other?" blinked Natsu.

 **'** **Told ya'**

 _'_ _Damn it'_

"No…" Kaelys clenched her jaw.

"Gray, what's the meaning of this!?" exclaimed Natsu, shaking his fist.

"Natsu, we've gone at it a whole bunch of time, haven't we?" replied Gray, moving from Daphne to stand before him. "I was thinking… maybe it's time we finally settle this, once and for all"

"What the hell are you saying?"

"Until now, I've been bringing myself down to your level. But" Gray turned his back to him. "I'm sick of it. I'm going to do things my own way. I'm not sticking with you anymore"

"Gray…"

"Hai, hai. Just as you've heard, Gray Fullbuster is mine" announced smugly Daphne.

"Wait, does that mean they're actually a couple?" not only was Kaelys scared, she was also angry and confused as hell.

"Hai, hai, NO WE'RE NOT!" instantly refuted the woman, before calming down in a heartbeat. "No, but he's still mine"

"Crazy lady" sweatdropped Kaelys.

"YOU'RE ONE TO TALK!" instantly snapped back all of those present saved for Wendy, who was simply too sweet to actually say it out loud.

"I'M NOT CRAZY!"

 _'_ _This is getting us nowhere!'_

 **'** **Get your mind in the game girl!'**

"I want that Dragon Slayer" the serious atmosphere came crashing back on them like a ton of bricks. "Crush him. Oh, before that, though, did you accomplish your other task?"

"Uh? Oh, yeah. He's here"

"Well, well, well… ain't that a fantastic surprise~"

Time seemed to stop.

So did Kaelys's heart.

It felt as if Gray had used his powers to freeze her blood. A chill ran down her spine, her throat went dry, her eyes widened. Her heart started beating again, though too fast for it to be normal. The voices started yelling, dark spots danced in her vision, her guts coiled in utter fright.

She felt _sick._

Because she _knew_ that voice.

"K-Kaelys-san?"

The Thief Mage couldn't hear her, though. All she could hear was the voice, that oh-so-known and despised voice. The tone, the level, the words… everything was the same, if not for a certain tightness that had now disappeared.

Slowly, her movements stiff, Kaelys turned around to face the newcomer.

"No…"

 ** _'_** ** _GET OUT OF HERE!'_**

Her hands started shaking, a fine bead of sweat now coating her forehead.

"Oi, Lys" Natsu narrowed his eyes, glancing from _him_ to her. "What's going on?"

This time around, she heard him. Reality came crashing down on her, and she instantly sent some furniture flying towards the man.

"GEY AWAY FROM ME!"

The man merely laughed it off, some sort of black hole barrier opening to protect him from the sudden attack.

"Why, is that any way to treat an old friend, Kaelys dear?" he taunted.

"You're not my friend…" she shook her head violently, taking a step back. "He's not supposed to be here… he's not…"

 **'** **But he IS! Get a grip and find a way out, damn it!'**

 _'_ _It was a trap. He used that woman's name to lure you out'_

 **'** **Oh yeah? We didn't notice!'**

 _'_ _I'm just trying to keep a certain control because if we all panic, then we're done for!'_

 **'** **I THINK IT'S WORTH PANICKING FOR!'**

"Ne, Kaelys" he grinned, tilting his head. "What's my name?"

"… I don't know"

Everyone sweatdropped at that and fell Anime style, none of them noticing the feral glint now lighting the man's gaze.

"It's been a while, kid" simply grinned the cursed man. "I've let you have your fun long enough, though. It's time to go home, now"

* * *

 **Tan tan tan! So, who was expecting it? The title kind of gave it away, but still. Was someone expecting the mother to show up? Well nope! And if some of you still haven't realized just who the man who appeared is... well, guess you'll have to wait for the next chapter, uh?**

 **Some pointed out they weren't big fans of the** **Daphne Arc and, honestly? Me neither. However, I don't want to skip some arcs just because I don't like them, it doesn't feel okay for the readers and I personally hate it when an author does that. However, be ready for some twist of my own ;-)**

 **I hoped you enjoyed it, and see you all around. Until the next chapter, ja!**


	11. Don't Let Me Go

**Hey everyone! So, I keep getting new readers each chapter, which makes me really happy! Also, fair warning: while I try my best, I'm always worth shit when it comes to describing fight scenes. So please, don't be too harsh on me!**

 **Have fun!**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

Kaelys was shaking so violently that it took her a few seconds to realize someone was now holding her by her shoulders. Snapping her eyes up, she sighed with some barely noticeable relief that it was Natsu.

His hand sending comforting warmth in her body, it allowed her to calm down her frenzy somewhat.

Natsu wasn't even looking at her, his eyes narrowed at the man before them. He didn't know who it was, and nothing about him was familiar to the pink-haired boy: the mysterious man had shoulder-length brown hair that seemed to need some serious scrubbing, and a single blue eye through which shone some way too obvious insanity.

The right one was closed, an ugly scar running over it and practically ruining half of his face.

"I don't know who you are, weirdo, but Lys doesn't want to go with you" he then announced, awfully calm despite his own confusion. "So get lost!"

The boy was worried. Never had he seen… no, _sensed,_ sheer fear coming from someone, and even less from Kaelys. She had always been composed, if not socially awkward, and she had shown fear a few times over but…

 _It's even worse than her breakdown back when Luce took her in,_ his jaw clenched at the awful memory. _Things have gotten weird, and Gray… we need to get out of here._

 _Now._

He didn't understand what the hell was going on, but that guy clearly wasn't intending on letting Kaelys go so easily. That newcomer was dangerous, and the Fire Dragon Slayer didn't like people who threatened his family.

The guy offered a taunting bow and lifted a nonexistent hat in greeting.

"I am Doctor Shawn. I only wanted to say hello, you know?" said Doctor then grinned wickedly. "And to bring Kaelys home, of course. She's been gone for so long~"

"My home is _here!"_ snapped the girl, her voice shaky. "I'm not going back to this hellhole, ya hear me!?"

"Hellhole?" he echoed, his left eye rolling in his orbit. "Why, I was merely helping you! I wanted to heal you, yet you killed everyone and flew without any remorse… and your mother is still so _worried_ about you-"

"You're the ones who made me this way" she gritted her teeth. "I'm not going back, to this place, to you, or to this woman! I'd rather die than go back there!"

 _'Shut ut, t_ _his isn't a joking matter!'_

 **'** **Don't you even dare, brat! You almost killed us once, ya know?'**

At the sheer volume of the voices, Kaelys cringed slightly in pain.

"Shut up already, now's really not the time…" she muttered under her breath.

The Doctor cackled, and she inched even more behind the pink-haired Dragon Slayer as Wendy, Happy and Carla joined with them, worried too about the newcomer.

"See, see!? You're _really_ sick, and you need to be healed right, right, _right away!_ " he exclaimed giddily. "Now come on, time to go, go, go!"

Kaelys didn't have much memories of the man, to be honest. She remembered his general appearance because of what he had done to her but, other than that and the sickening emotions…

She wasn't even angry at him. She was just _scared._

"Hai, hai, that's enough playing around now" Daphne's voice drew everyone's attention, everyone having kind of forgotten about her. "Doctor Shawn, it was nice making affair with you. You can have what you came here for, now. Gray dearest? Do immobilize her. I believe it is time for your little friend to go back to her _real_ family"

"Sure thing"

"No!"

Kaelys tried to move away, but she was already trapped in ice. Cursing and trashing violently in hopes of freeing herself, she called forth her Book, only for it to freeze in her very hands.

"LET ME GO!"

"Gray, what the hell are you doing!? You can't just help that weirdo kidnap her!" protested Natsu. "Fire Fist of the-"

His attack was stopped as a hammer made of ice sent him flying into the nearest wall.

"He's not kidnapping her, ash-for-brains" tsked the black-haired mage, an hand on his hips. "He's taking her back to her _real_ family, her _mother._ Plus, everyone here knows that she needs some serious mental help, and _that_ guy was her Doctor before she went on a killing spree and got rid of more than half the personnel of the hospital, and then running away and being found by Brain. We're not the ones for her, Natsu. And also…"

He attacked again, sending ice lances after the pink-haired boy. Then, his clothes went flying, and he took an offensive position.

"You're in no position to be worried about others right now. Ice Make: Battleax!"

"Roar of the Fire Dragon!"

The two of them engaged in battle. Wendy could only watch, not knowing what to do to help everyone. She still was unsure about Gray's sudden betrayal, that Daphne lady was laughing like a madwoman, Kaelys was trapped in the ice and slowly loosing consciousness due to the cold, and the Doctor was now making his way towards her…

Wendy's eyes widened. No matter what, she couldn't just let him take her away!

As she was about to jump in between the two of them, though, Carla intervened.

"What do you think you're doing?" the cat hissed. "You can't take him on! He's obviously very dangerous, and you're too weak to go against him!"

Her words hurt as if arrows pierced her heart, but Wendy knew she was right. She was weak, more of a support type than anything else. There was nothing she could actually do.

 _But still..._

Another glance at Kaelys made her freeze. Tears of helplessness were now running down the teen's cheeks, freezing too because of the sheer cold. And, in that very moment, Wendy never felt so useless in her entire life. Ever since they first met, even if it had been under rather harsh circumstances, the little Dragon Slayer had known that the Thief Mage was strong. Yes, Kaelys was strong, she was powerful, she could fight, she could do everything Wendy couldn't do... and now there she was, letting out the most hearwrenching cries the Sky Maiden had ever heard.

Wnedy clenched her fists, straightening.

"I can't just watch as my friend gets hurt!" and with that, she started moving.

"Wendy!"

The Dragon Slayer wasn't listening anymore, though. Darting forward, she jumped in between the man and his target, making him stop with something akin to a mix of amusement and annoyance.

"I have no business with you, little girl" he remarked, not even taunting her, merely stating a fact. "Don't get in my way"

"L-leave KKaelys-san a-a-alone!" she retorted, extending her arms before her.

"Wendy, what are you doing!? You don't have any attack spell!" screeched Carla.

"I'm a Dragon Slayer, just like Natsu-san and Gajeel-san!" the blue-haired child snapped back, heart thumping wildly. "I-if they can do it… then I can to! _Roar of the Sky Dragon!"_

Magic gathered in her throat as a circle appeared. Slightly panicking –she hadn't expected it to _actually_ work-, she more or less directed the attack at the man, hoping it'd hit the target. The spell was fired, and a bright light blinded all the occupants in the room for a few seconds. When it died down, though, it was only to show that the Doctor was still standing, not even fazed by the attack.

"You'll have to do better than that if you want to win against me" he scoffed, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Wendy, watch out!" yelled Happy.

It was too late, though. Some sort of black hole opened under her feet, and she let out a scream as she fell through… only to reappear at the complete opposite of the room, crashing on the floor and drained of all energy.

"WENDY!"

"She's fine, cat" shrugged Shawn, heading once more for Kaelys. "Now get out of here"

Without even lifting a finger, he sent away the two cats the same way he did with the youngest Dragon Slayer.

* * *

.

.

"W-Wendy… Happy… Carla…"

Kaelys's throat was dry and sore, she had screamed too much. She couldn't move, though, and her limbs were numbed from the cold. She had tried many times to use her telekinesis on her prison, but the sharp cold and the panic possessing her had made her loose her grasp on her powers.

She could only watch as the Doctor loomed over her, grinning from ear to ear with his scar stretching the blistered skin on his face.

"Let's go, Kaelys"

 _'_ _GET AWAY FROM HIM!'_

 **'** **SNAP OUT OF IT FOR FUCK'S SAKE!'**

"DON'T TOUCH ME!"

This time around, she managed to focus her powers in one spot and made the ice trapping her hand and her Book implode. Shards flew around, and the man grunted in annoyance, black holes stopping the sharp pieces from harming him.

 _"Roar of the Fire Dragon!"_

Now able to use her Thief Magic, she made the ice melt. Stumbling to the floor, she then forced her stiff muscles to move.

"I have to… get out of here…"

"You can't run, Kaelys!" laughed madly the Doctor, already going after her.

"I'm not going back!"

Seeing as physical attacks didn't work on him, she simply used her telekinesis powers to fly back to where Wendy and the cats had landed. Well, Happy was gone, so she guessed he had woken up and went after Natsu. Kneeling next to the two unconscious forms, she growled when she realized their breathing was only now starting to regulate itself, a clear sign they had been suffocating a few seconds earlier.

"What have you done to them!?"

"No one can breath in my Black Holes" he rolled his eye, making his way to her across the room at a tranquil pace. "They just lost consciousness. Should be alright. Of course, I can't say the same of you. You've been a bad girl, Kaelys! It's not your fault, though, you're sick. Don't worry, I'm going to heal you and make it all better! Soon, soon, soon!"

"You're the one who went _bonkers!"_ her limbs were hurting, blood slowly making its way back into her system. "Why can't you just leave me in pea _-whoa!"_

She lost her balance as the whole room started shaking. Startled, she raised her eyes, only to see that the doors were broken and a passage had been open.

"Natsu and Gray's fight, more than probably…" she understood, before a groan drew her attention. "Wendy! Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine…" the little girl brought an hand to her head, obviously disoriented. "What happened?"

"You tried to protect me" at that, the teen offered a wobbly smile. "Thank you. I'll return the favor now"

"W-what? No! This man is dangerous, we have to get out of here…"

The girl lost track of her own speech, though, black spots dancing before her eyes. With a cringe, the Dragon Slayer leaned against the nearest wall.

"Don't push yourself" ordered the older mage.

With that, Kaelys forced herself back on her feet, and finally faced full-on the man of all of her nightmares.

"I'm not going back" she announced, Requiping her Book in her hand. "And I won't let you hurt my friends!"

"Friends?" he _giggled._ "Don't be stupid, Kaelys. Your only friend is _me!"_

 **'** **I don't know where he hit his head while we were away, but it seems pretty serious'**

 _'_ _Must be the results of the feedback from his failure. You know how obsessed he was with healing you. To see you escape must have broken a few screws'_

"Either way, I won't let him trap me again in that place" she assured between her teeth. "To think I got rid of Nirvana too…"

 _'_ _It_ would _have been useful'_

 **'** **Not promising to never kill again too'**

"Would you let it go already!?"

 **'** **Just saying'**

"Buahahahahah!" she was startled by the barked laugh of the Doctor. "Crazy as ever, eh, Kaelys?"

"I'm not crazy! You're the crazy one!"

He kept on laughing, though. Glaring heavily, she forced her heart to calm down as she prepared her first attack, her persona shifting once again.

She couldn't just attack blindly. If she killed him by accident, she would have betrayed her promise to Loke, no matter how much he deserved it. She also couldn't afford to let him trap her in his Black Holes, or she'd be done for. Normal attacks and spells wouldn't work, she'd have to find a way around his Magic.

 **'** **Do the same thing you did back with Zero!'**

 _'_ _But if she misses, then she'll loose her weapon!'_

 **'** **Well do you see any other solution? 'Cause I don't, and we're loosing some really precious time right now!'**

"NATSU!"

She stiffened at Happy's yell, and exchanged a worried look with Wendy. The small girl nodded, before grabbing Carla –who was still a little out of it-, and running outside to try and intervene in the boys' fight.

"Why, Daphne must have gotten what she was here for, then" remarked Doctor Shawn with a lopsided grin. "Guess I should get to it too. While Magic is fun and everything, I prefer our world to this one. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Hell no. _Meteor!"_

Magic engulfed her body, and she was propelled forward. She gritted her teeth as she was however diverted from her main target and sent crashing in a wall. It hadn't even been one of the man's attack: she was unable to control it at the moment, which truly wasn't helping her.

Rubbing her sore shoulder, she got back on her feet, glaring as he laughed. There was an edge to the sound, a clear tone of insanity that made her skin crawl.

Before she could do anything, though, the ground shook once more. Worried, she shot one look at the Doctor, who seemed to have forgotten about her for a moment while lost in his laughing fit, before darting towards the door.

Fighting was not an option. She was too panicked, and she barely had any control over her Magic. Fleeing was the only solution at the moment, but she would be _damned_ if she left her friends behind once more.

"I did it with Cobra… with everyone… but I learned" she gritted her teeth, flying through the open doors. "I won't make the same mistakes!"

 _'_ _You're out!'_

 **'** **Now grab the rest and go, damn it!'**

However, she was well forced to stop in her tracks when the mansion suddenly broke down. Panicking, she grabbed Wendy and Carla and flew them outside, Happy following behind.

* * *

.

.

They crashed outside, barely managing a landing. Smoke and dust blinded them as the ground shook violently, a wiring sound echoing all around.

 **"** **Hai, hai, hai, hai! All impurities other than Salamander, get out already! Now starts the absorption of Salamander's powers!"**

A pained yell resonated faintly, easily drowned out by an even louder noise. Startled, Kaelys raised her eyes, only to freeze as none other than a Dragon suddenly stood before them.

 **"** **Dragonoid… activate!"**

This time, it was the dragon that screeched. Kaelys flinched, hands against her ears as the sound seemed to break her eardrums.

 **"** **Hai, hai, hai. Things are starting up quite well!"**

 _'_ _Isn't that Daphne?'_

 **'** **It's official: I hate that crazy chick'**

 **"** **Take a look! This is the artificial dragon I have created! I call it Dragonoid! I'm taking Salamander's magic power and unveiling it for all to see!"**

"N-Natsu-san…" gasped Wendy, before noticing something. "K-Kaelys-san!'

The teen looked over at what the yougner girl had spotted, and realized that Erza and Lucy were also here, though the reason behind their presence was a serious wonder.

"Lucy-nee!" she called, her voice breaking a little. "Erza!"

"Kae! Wendy!"

The four of them reunited, Carla slowly regaining her senses in Wendy's arms and Happy staring worriedly at the dragon. The Dragon Slayer went to Erza's side, while Kaelys threw herself into Lucy's arms. Only there did she feel somewhat safe, and the blonde's presence managed to calm her down despite the seriousness of the situation.

"We're in big trouble!" exclaimed the blue cat. "Natsu got captured by a crazy lady and Gray betrayed us and there's also a mad Doctor trying to kidnap Kae and-"

"Hold on, what?" Lucy's eyes widened.

"Gray-san seems to have teamed up with that Daphne to trap Natsu-san" explained Wendy, voice shaky. "And there's also a third man called Doctor Shawn who appears to be with them as well, and he's after Kaelys-san!"

"He's from my world" the teen tightened her hold on the Celestial Mage. "It's _him._ He's the one who… he's…"

Her throat dry, she was unable to pursue. Lucy however understood fairly well the gravity of the situation.

"Gray isn't being controlled" added the teen, trying to calm down. "It's of his own free will, though I don't understand why… isn't Fairy Tail family? If it is, then why would he betray us…?"

Her face softening a little, Erza placed her hand on top of both of the girls' heads, shaking her head.

"Whatever is happening, there must be a good reason behind it" she assured. "For now, we must-"

"G-Gray!"

At Lucy's exclamation, everyone raised their eyes to see the Ice Make Mage standing on top of the Dragonoid, smirking down at them. Next to him was sitting the Doctor, his legs dangling over the edge and his smile sending a chill down the teen's spine, who shuddered.

Noticing her reaction, Lucy grew colder, sending an appraising look to the unknown figure.

"That's him, isn't it?"

"… hai"

"Miss Daphne, I do believe we had a bargain" he practically _purred,_ his single eye staring at the teen below.

 **"** **Hai, hai, hai. Gray, help him out, would you?"**

"Sure"

A black hole opened under the both of them, and they suddenly appeared before the little group. Lucy instantly pushed Kaelys behind her, hands over her keys.

"Gray, what are you doing?" inquired Erza, narrowing her eyes. "And what have you done to Natsu? If you've betrayed Fairy Tail, then you must have a reason!"

"No reason" he retorted offhandedly, his hands in his pockets.

 **"** **Hai, hai, don't waste too much time, boys!"**

"Is that the voice of this Daphne person?" Erza clenched her fist. "Give us Natsu back this instant!"

 **"** **Sorry, but no can do"** refused the woman, now apparently eating something if the slur in her voice was anything to go by. **"I'm sure you realize that my Dragonoid here moves by sucking out Natsu Dragneel's magic power. Ah, until I've suck out all that magic power, I ain't giving Natsu Dragneel back, hai, hai!"**

"Isn't Magic the very life of a wizard?" thought Kaelys, biting her lower lip. "If he stays trapped for too long, then he'll die"

At that moment, a scream of pain echoed from the inside of the Dragon and reverberated all around them. Apparently, the Fire Dragon Slayer was still able to hear what was going on, and was obviously not okay with it.

 **"** **Hai, hai, as long as you keep up the good work, we'll be fully charged in no time. Then, my Dragonoid will be operational for half an eternity!"**

"Wait, how would that even work? Eternity is eternal, you can't cut it in half" the teen's confusion would have been funny in any other situation.

"You want to get in her way, just try it" Gray's tone turned darker. "Although even with your powers combined, I highly doubt you can hold out long enough to see it fully charged"

 **"** **It was truly a long struggle for me to perfect it. And without Doctor Shawn's wonderful assistance, I doubt it would have been for many more years!"**

"Right, right, we get it already" there was a touch of annoyance in the Doctor's tone, now. "Now keep your end of the deal, I'd rather be out of this place as soon as I can"

 **"** **Hai, hai. Let's get to it! TEST!"**

Instantly, the dragon started moving, and tried to crush them. Moving out of the way, Kaelys started panicking again when she realized that the cloud of dust rising from the ground had hidden the other two mages they were confronting.

"No, no, no, no, no…" she mumbled, looking around and trying to spot them. "Damn it!"

"Ice Make: Floor!"

Reacting upon her instincts, the teen flew to avoid the attack. The voice had come from her right, she could-

Everything turned to darkness. Gasping, not a shred of light in sight, it took her a second to realize she wasn't breathing. Her mouth gaping wide, she tried to scream, but not a sound came out.

 **'** **He got you in one of his black holes!'**

 _'_ _You have to get out now!'_

She tried to answer, she relly tried... but she couldn't. Suffocating, she could feel her blood pumping, her lungs begging for oxygen, her heart beating too, too, too fast. Her head spinning, she was unable to keep consciousness any longer, the screams and curses from the voices but a vague noise in the background.

* * *

When Kaelys literally flew into what seemed like a black hole, Lucy's mind went blank. Blinking, trying to understand just _what the hell just happened,_ she then shook her head violently and grabbed Leo's key.

Before she could call him out, though, the dust settled down, revealing Gray and the man –Doctor Shawn, right?- standing farther away.

A black hole opened above them, and Kaelys's body fell into the man's already open arms. He caught her without an ounce of effort, a sickening grin stretching his lips as he stared at her unconscious form.

"Well, that was eventful" he laughed. "She's always been _so_ much trouble, that girl. But don't any of you worry, I'll heal her. She'll be as good as new soon, soon, soon!"

"No!" protested Lucy, eyes wide in panic. "Gray, please! Don't let him do this!"

For once since the beginning, the Ice Make Mage's harsh features lost some of their edge for a moment.

For a moment only, though.

"We all saw how she is" he simply answered, looking away. "With her powers and her instability, she's too dangerous to be let loose. She needs help, and she needs her _real_ family. Fairy Tail can't help that one"

"Stop spouting such nonsense!"

Lucy needed to do something. She didn't know what, but it needed to be done _now._ If the man truly was who she thought he was, then things wouldn't end well for Kaelys. Nor Gray, for that matter. No way the boy was getting out of this unscathed, no matter the reason.

"Alright, I'll be taking my leave then" announced gingerly the Doctor, before throwing some sort of card to Gray, who caught it. "If you need another deal, I'll be happy to oblige. Ja'ne!"

A black hole appeared next to them. This time around, though, Lucy knew it wasn't _just_ that. She could feel it in her guts, in her soul... if the man decided to go through, then none of them would be able to follow, and the teen would be _lost._

"KAELYS! Open, Gate of the Lion!"

"On it, Princess!"

The Celestial Mage collapsed to her knees as the Spirit darted forward, fists glowing with Magic. She had opened his Gate trice today already, and it had drained much more than she could usually bear.

" _Regulus Impact!_ "

"Ice Make: _Wall!"_

The hit was stopped, ice shards flew around. Gray gritted his teeth as Loke landed a meter before him, crouched in a defensive position.

"You're making a mistake, Gray" he warned, deadly serious.

"It's what's best for her _and_ for the Guild" the boy retorted, jaw clenched tightly as he prepared another spell. "Don't get into this, Loke. You have no part to take in it"

"I may be Lucy's Spirit, but I am still a Mage of Fairy Tail!" snapped the lion. "And for all your good intentions that may hide behind your betrayal, I shan't let you condemn one of our own! _Regulus Punch!_ "

The raven-haired boy tried to block the attack, but the shock still sent him flying farther away. Rubbing his sore face, which had gotten the brunt of the hit, he glared at the redhead flirt.

"Do as you wish. Ice Make-"

"GRAY, YOU BASTARD! YOU'VE GONE AND DONE IT THIS TIME!"

At the new voice, everyone's attention was momentarily reported on the source: it was Macao, driving a car, along with Wakaba and Elfman.

"As I am a Man, I will bring you back to the Guild!" announced loudly the later, proudly standing on top of the car rather than inside.

With that, the gigantic man jumped. Propelled by the speed of the moving vehicle, he hit the mark and managed to knock the breath out of the boy. The Ice Make mage tempararily lost consciousness due to the strenght of the blow, and slumped to the ground.

"Don't think ill of me, Master's orders" simply remarked Elfman, picking him up.

"Master?"

"Yeah, looks like he got a word of Daphne" answered Macao, stopping next to them, before looking around in slight confusion. "Wait, where's-"

"Where the _fuck_ is she"

Everyone startled at the voice, saved for the three that had just arrived. Said voice had been harsh, snappy, _familiar_. Then, as if owning the whole world, none other than _Cobra_ stepped out of the car.

He was sporting an heavy scowl on his face, obviously in no mood for jokes.

"Cobra… what are you doing here?" Erza took a slight step back, wary.

"I got here today, Scarlet" he clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Arrived when those guys were leaving and heard that Loudmouth had left earlier to go after her mother, of all things. Now: _where. is. she?_ "

"I…" Erza found herself faltering at his tone.

"She's gone"

"L-Lucy!?"

The blonde girl had her eyes to the ground, arms crossed over her chest and her whole form shaking violently. Loke had disappeared, her Magic unable to keep him out any longer.

"She's gone" the Celestial Mage repeated, her voice breaking. "That- that _monster_ took her. He managed to pass through his portal in the confusion"

The red-haired woman's face fell as realization dawned on them. Now, not only was Natsu trapped in that dangerous machine, not only had Gray betrayed them for no apparent reason... but Kaelys was in serious danger and out of their reach as well.

"Fucking hell!" hissed Cobra, slamming his fist in the car.

"Hey, watch it!" protested Macao.

"Does any of you even _understand_ what just happened!?" he seethed. "The kid's going to _die_ , damn it! That guy is going to torture her until she either completely looses her mind, or _dies_ in the process of doing so! _Damn it!_ "

A groan escaped Gray's unconscious form, and Cobra shot a dark glare his way, which sent a chill down everyone else's spine even though it wasn't directed at them.

"I swear, if _anything_ happens to her, then I won't hold back" he snarled, sharp canines glinting. "My deal with the Magic Council be fucking damned"

At the same moment, as if they weren't in enough trouble already, the Dragonoid spread its wings and, in the span of a few seconds, started flying away.

"I-it's heading for Magnolia!" exclaimed Wendy, worried.

Things were getting worse and worse. What were they supposed to do? Natsu, Gray, the Guild, Kaelys, Magnolia… it was too much at once for them to handle.

"Lucy and the rest of you return to the Guild and get everyone mobilized" then ordered Erza, somehow managing to keep her cool. "We'll protect the city"

"But what about Natsu? And Kaelys?" protested Lucy.

"I will stop that Dragonoid" assured the Requip Mage, calling forth her sword. "As for Kaelys… we can do nothing more for her at the moment. I am afraid we will need Daphne's help to get into contact with the man that took her. Cobra-"

"I hear ya" he huffed, not happy -then again, when was he?-. "I ain't doing it for your creepy Guild, though. I still need to sort things out with Truth"

"Of course… But, thank you nowadays"

He simply scoffed, shoving his hands in his pockets and letting his gaze loose itself in the horizon.

 _What the hell did you just get into, Kaelys?_

* * *

 **O-kay, who saw Cobra coming? God, I love him so much... anyway, for any of you thinking that his reaction about Kaelys's disapearance is out of character, well, you're not all _wrong,_ but you're not all _right_ either. I mean, considering the last few chapters of the manga -I read it all, people, though no spoilers unless warned otherwise, promise!- it's obvious he, or any of the members of Oración Seis for that matter, are stone-hearted assholes. I mean, yeah, they may be somewhat psychos on the side, but they still can care about others, you know? They _did_ join Crime Sorcière, after all. **

**Plus, I believe it'd be kind of hard for Cobra _not_ to get attached to Kaelys. She's a kid, he's be training her, and he knows more than anyone else about her and the voices. And honestly? MY STORY MY RULES, AH! So yeah, you'll see more of Cobra in the next chapters, obviously.**

 **Also, for those who still don't get it: Doctor Shawn is the one from the first chapter.**

 **Hey, shit's going down people! See you guys soon, I can't wait to see your reviews!**


	12. Family Means No One Gets Left Behind

**Oh my God, you guys... I've got so many reviews, I'm so happy! Also, sorry it took me so long! I was working on a filler chapter, and I'm currently on vacation, plus I had my exams and all that crap. But now, here's the twelfth chapter!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 _'_ _Kaelys… Kaelys, please wake up, please…'_

 **'** **Damn it brat, get up!'**

"Don't… wanna…" she mumbled, trying to silence them.

 ** _'_** ** _GET UP!'_**

This time around, she bolted into a sitting position, awake. She instantly collapsed once again, though. Her lungs were burning as if Hell had put them on fire itself, her head was spinning, her limbs were aching _so_ bad…

 _'_ _Listen: you've got caught. You blacked out, and I fear the others didn't get to you in time. You-'_

 **'** **Don't sugarcoat: she's trapped, and we're all in deep shit'**

"… trapped?"

She forced her eyes open, and her heart literally stopped. The room was the same as before, with walls of a blinding white and bars blocking the sole, small window. The table and the chairs were in the same place, and the bed was as cold and uncomfortable as she remembered it to be.

The only difference was the absence of the corpse of the nurse she distinctly remembered leaving behind.

"I'm back…" she covered her mouth, feeling sick. "I'm _back_ …"

Realization hit her in the guts and, without a warning, she vomited all of her breakfast on the floor. It kept going out, burning her throat and her body shaking from pain and fear and utter _exhaustion._ Soon enough, there wasn't any more to reject, yet it kept going. It felt as if she trying to spit out her whole stomach.

After what seemed like hours, it finally stopped. Tears spilling from her eyes as she wiped her mouth with a disgusted scowl, the teen shook her head to get back to her senses. It was no time for a breakdown, she needed to get out.

 **'** **Now you're talking. Get to it'**

Avoiding the smelly waste covering the floor, she instantly headed for the obviously locked door. Concentrating, she tried to make the whole thing explode.

Key word: tried.

"Why isn't it working?" the girl took a step back, her raw emotions bubbling up once more without much restraint. "WHY ISN'T IT WORKING!?"

She tried to male the table implode, to make the chairs fly. She tried to summon her Book, tried to even feel her Magic core.

Nothing. There was _nothing._

"This can't be happening…" she fell to her knees, unable to stay on her feet. "I can't… what happened… why…"

 _'This is crazy. Why can't she use Magic?'_

 **'** **What… what if she was dreaming all along?'**

"No… NO!" she scratched her wrists so hard her nails ripped the skin. "I'm not crazy, this can't be happening! It was all real! It was real, it was real, _it was real_ …"

Yet here she was, back in the asylum. Here she was, unable to use her Magic or even sense its presence flowing through her veins. Here she was, in the clothes she had despised yet wore for years. Here she was, none of the scars or injuries she had gotten over the year apparent.

Here she was, trapped in that hellhole again.

"Did I… did I ever even leave…?" a humorless laugh escaped her, disbelief lacing her shaky voice. "The dream… was it all just a dream?"

 _'_ _No, of course not! You can't have dreamed all of this!'_

 **'** **Oh yeah? She's already bonkers, and the medicine they keep giving her isn't exactly safe either! Who's to say she didn't just hallucinate everything, hm?'**

The voices drowned in her despair as she clutched her throbbing head. A pained wail slowly clawed its way up her sore throat before escaping, echoing loud and harsh against the walls of her prison.

The dream was over. It was time to go back to reality.

* * *

Cobra had never been one for cheesy things. The power of love, the magical friendship bonds, the rainbows and the hearts and the fucking unicorns that shit gold and good luck…

Nan, really not his style.

He _did_ believe in friendship, kind of. While it most certainly wasn't of the healthiest sort, he _was_ friend with all of the members of Oración Seis, to a certain extent –Brain being the exception-. Angel annoyed him a lot, Midnight slept more than he lived, Hoteye could be real pain in the ass and Racer was no better. However, they were still kids who grew up together with the same kind of upbringing: shitty and hellish. That _had_ to bring them together somewhat.

When Kaelys showed up, he had his doubts, but deep down knew she'd fit right in. Rough childhood and torture tended to screw people up and, while he would be the first to admit she wasn't mentally stable, he also knew she wasn't all that crazy. After all, he too could hear the voices, so it had to mean something, right?

Kid still had a few screw loose, though.

He was the one to train her in hand-to-hand combat. He did more missions with her than he cared to remember, and passed a whole fricking year practically babysitting the kid. So, of _course_ he couldn't just get up and say that he didn't care if something happened to her.

Because, for all the annoyance that came from the mere thought, he _did_ care about the girl. Not as much as for Cubellios, but still more than the rest.

When she turned her back to him, he couldn't help but be hurt. It was selfish and stupid, but seeing her walk away by Brain's side had made something inside him snap and _hurt._ However, the pain was reduced to a sting when he heard her hesitation. For her to doubt her very loyalty –that was _not_ something you could hear everyday-, it was the proof he need to understand he also meant at least _something_ to her.

For Cobra to mean anything to someone in the first place wasn't something he wanted, but also not an idea he rejected fully.

Somehow, Nirvana had been destroyed and the Rune Knights found him. Cubellios had stayed by his side but had proven unable to defend him, as exhausted as he was, and they were both arrested by the soldiers. He later on discovered that all of the members of the Guild had too been jailed, and condemned to atone for their crimes for the rest of their miserable lives.

Which wasn't something fun, seriously.

He had been worried –he hated himself just admitting it in his thoughts- about Kaelys by then. He knew of her past with chains, kind of. Hell, who didn't? But seeing as the place was still standing and how no guard had imploded yet, he guessed she had managed to escape.

Not even a week later, though, the uptight guy with the glasses that had conducted his arrest showed up with a scowl and an offer: either he stayed in there, or he joined one of the three Guilds that managed to destroy Oración Seis in the first place.

He had been stunned, to say the least. Who would be stupid enough to even think about this? He was a criminal and had the power to go on a killing spree as soon as he was out, yet he was offered liberty?

Crazy geezers.

Of course he accepted. He wasn't stupid enough not to. So, mindlessly agreeing to the terms of his release –always staying with a Guild member, no massacres or any evil deed he may have in mind, etc, etc-, he was given back Cubellios and sent on his merry way with a grandiose escort of fifteen Rune Knights towards no other place than Fairy Hell- erm, Tail.

If he had had a choice, he would never have gone there. However, after listening intently, he had learned that that's where Kaelys had ended up in the first place. Also, he didn't want to be associated with some weak-ass Guild. While being defeated left a bitter taste in his mouth, it still meant they were stronger.

Who knows, maybe he'd be able to challenge Salamander again? Cobra sure hoped so, he was itching for some sort of revenge, even if it wasn't as bloody as he wished it could be.

When the guards finally dumped him at the Guild, though, it was only to find it in a frenzy. Apparently, something was threatening the whole city. He wouldn't have cared and simply chugged down some beer if it hadn't been for the white-haired barmaid worrying about none other than Kaelys.

The stupid girl had apparently followed Dragneel to find her _mother._

 _Fucking idiot._

Anyone with a brain could have guessed it was a trap but _nooo_ , she just _had_ to fell right in it. So, not even bothering with introductions, he went up to the old guy that was apparently the Master and demanded to be on the team sent after them. At first surprised, he then shrugged and sent him away with the three man.

They had been wary, very much so, but Cobra hadn't even uttered a word. He had had to leave Cubellios at the Guild, seeing how she was still injured from the fight on Nirvana, and he seriously wasn't in the mood to deal with those guys. After a few awkward minutes –during which he did his best not to let his motion sickness show-, they finally reached their destination.

The criminal could only stare as a fucking _dragon_ appeared in sight.

"GRAY, YOU BASTARD! YOU'VE GONE AND DONE IT THIS TIME!"

At the new voice, everyone's attention was momentarily reported on them. Cobra narrowed his eyes when he only saw the redhead, a curvy blond, the kid they had kidnapped before, two cats and the ice mage.

Kaelys was nowhere to be seen.

"As I am a Man, I will bring you back to the Guild!" proclaimed Elfman, proudly standing on top of the car.

With that, the gigantic man jumped. Propelled by the speed of the moving vehicle, he hit the mark and managed to knock the breath out of Fullbuster.

"Don't think ill of me, Master's orders," simply remarked the man, picking him up.

"Master?" echoed Scarlet, breathless.

"Yeah, looks like he got a word of Daphne," answered Macao, stopping next to them, before looking around in slight confusion. "Wait, where's-"

"Where the fuck is she."

Everyone startled at his voice, saved for the three that had just arrived with him. Not really caring about appearances, he got out of the car, searching the teen, but in vain. Even while straining his ears, he was unable to hear her.

Which was _not_ a good thing.

A scowl settled on his lips.

"Cobra… what are you doing here?" Erza took a step back, wary.

"I arrived today, Scarlet," he clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Arrived when those guys were leaving and heard that Loudmouth had left earlier to go after her mother. Now where is she?"

"I…" Erza found herself faltering at his tone.

"She's gone."

"L-Lucy!"

The blonde girl had her eyes to the ground, arms crossed over her chest and her whole form shaking violently. The Poison Dragon Slayer snapped his eyes to her, annoyed at the beat his heart had just missed at her announcement.

"She's gone," the Celestial Mage repeated, her voice breaking. "That- that _monster_ took her. He managed to pass through his portal in the confusion."

The red-haired woman's face fell as realization dawned on them. The Sound Mage felt the distress of the girl's soul, and he easily understood what had just happened: Kaelys had been taken, and he was too late.

 _Too fucking late._

"Fucking hell!" hissed Cobra, slamming his fist in the car.

"Hey, watch it!" protested the guy that had drove them there.

"Does any of you even _understands_ what just happened!?" he seethed, shaking slightly. "The kid's going to _die_ , damn it! That guy is going to torture her until she either completely looses her mind, or _dies_ in the process! Damn it!"

A groan escaped Gray's unconscious form, and Cobra sent a dark glare his way. Whatever had happened to Truth, that boy had had an hand in it. Right now, he was responsible, and the man truly didn't care about the bargain with the higher authorities in that very moment.

"I swear, if _anything_ happens to her, then I won't hold back," he snarled, sharp canines glinting. "My deal with the Magic Council be fucking _damned."_

And he thought every word of it. No matter his disdain for those damn… ugh, dare he say it, _feelings,_ he couldn't deny them that much: if _anything_ happened to Kaelys, then there'd be _hell_ to pay.

* * *

"Oh, you're finally awake"

Kaelys stiffened, slowly raising her eyes to see none other than that damned Doctor coming in with a cheery smile. Her heart missed a beat when she instantly noticed that both of his eyes were very much present. There was no scar adorning his face, and the crazy glint she remembered lighting his gaze was nowhere to be found, as if it never existed in the first place.

 _'_ _This… this is impossible'_

 **'** **Yet there you have it. The kid was on drugs all along. Go figures'**

The teen choked out a sob, slapping her hands over her mouth to trap the sounds, in vain. The tears started rolling down her cheeks once more before she could stop them.

"I don't want to be here… I wanna go back…" she cried, voice cracking.

Doctor Shawn kneeled before her with a soft, somewhat apologetic air.

"I'm sorry, Kaelys. You reacted rather badly to the injection we gave you earlier, and you started hallucinating about magic and guilds and fairies… you were out for a few hours only, but I guess it was enough to make some serious damage…" he remarked, thoughtful. "I'm really sorry for this. But don't worry, everything will be okay soon, alright? Just hang in there for a while longer."

She simply kept on crying, completely forgetting about him. What he said didn't matter, what happened didn't mater, what would happen didn't matter.

Nothing mattered. Nothing ever did.

* * *

They had beaten the Dragonoid, somehow. Cobra had teamed up with Cubellios and, much to his annoyance, stayed around the Celestial Mage for the whole battle. While himself had nothing to gain from such a weakling, she was still the most affected by Kaelys's kidnaping. Her soul was roaring and breaking again and again despite her attention solely focused on saving the Dragon Slayer and the city.

And, if the blonde held such affection towards a kid as fucked as Kaelys, then he couldn't really let anything happen to her and have a clear conscience. The girl needed all the friends she could get, after all.

Anyhow, they managed to destroy the machine and vanquish Daphne. Gray had helped out, revealing it had all been a scheme to get Natsu to remember some sort of broken promise or whatever, but didn't really thought things through –obviously-. Much to Cobra's surprise, the Master of the Guild didn't kill him, or even punished him: he said the guilt was enough of a punishment itself.

The criminal was fairly certain popsicle dick knew nothing of true guilt yet, though.

"Gray."

Not very surprisingly, the curvy blonde was the first one to bring everyone's cheery spirits down when she dropped the bomb.

"Where's Kaelys."

It wasn't even a question, more an order to answer, or else. The noises around them quieted down, much to his relief, and all eyes fell upon the Ice Make Mage and the Celestial Wizard.

"She's gone. She needed help, but now I-"

Cobra felt somewhat giddy, knowing what was coming next, but found himself unable to laugh when the girl slapped him so hard his head was sent the other way.

"Kaelys needed help, yes," she gritted her teeth, lowering her head. "But more of all, she needed a family. You don't _know_ what happened to her back there. Believe it or not, but she ran away for a reason. And right now, she's in danger! That monster isn't going to heal her, Gray! He's going to _kill_ her! And until he does so, she'll be alone and each second she passes trapped in that shithole, she'll strengthen her belief that no one cares about her, and no one ever will!"

"Lucy…"

"Have you even thought of how she'd feel, knowing a fellow guildmate just sent her back in hell?" tears started gathering Lucy, and she roughly hit his chest. "Ever since she arrived, she's taken to heart the most important lesson: Fairy Tail is family. But you know what? While she considered everyone here her family, she also knew that the feeling wasn't reciprocated. There was me, Loke, there were Wendy and Natsu and Happy, Master and Mira and even Gajeel! But you? No, you, and everyone else, she knew that she wasn't welcomed. She knew everyone doubted her, yet she _didn't care!_ She still gave us a chance, still gave _you_ a chance, and how do you repay her!?"

"Lucy-"

"She always believed herself worthless, Gray! She always thought she wasn't worth it, that she was a monster! And it made me feel awful, because no matter how hard I tried, she never was able to see herself otherwise because a few people pulling her up when the whole world is pushing her back down _isn't enough!_ She needed Fairy Tail, and now she's lost that too!"

"Lucy!"

"What!?"

It took the blonde mage a few seconds that Gray's jaw was clenched tightly as he blinked back his own tears.

Cobra clicked his tongue, already knowing what the boy was about to say.

"I know I fucked up, okay?" the Ice Make Mage's voice broke, and he slammed his fist into the nearest table. "Damn it! I know I did a mistake and I know that you or Kaelys or anyone here will probably never forgive me, but I still need to make things right!"

With that, he pulled out some sort of card. It was all black, with a single inscription written upon it in silver:

 _Doctor Shawn Cruz_

"He said it was a way to get in touch with him," announced Fullbuster, holding it high enough for all to see. "And I was planning to track him down to get her back as soon as that shit with the Dragonoid was over. I guess you're coming, then?"

"Of course I'm coming!" retorted the girl, rubbing her eyes, obviously relieved. "Of course I'm coming…"

"Yosh! I'm all fired up!" exclaimed Natsu, hitting his fists together, apparently having regained his energy. "Let's go save her!"

"Aye sir!" cheered Happy.

"I shall accompany you. I am partially to blame for her current situation, and I wish to also take responsibility," informed Erza, guilt written over her features.

"I-I would like to come too."

"Wendy, no!" instantly refused Carla. "It is too dangerous! You were no match for that madman when you tried to confront him, you could very well get killed this time around!"

"But Kaelys is my friend too!"

At her exclamation, all startled a little. In the week she had been present at the Guild, no one ever expected to ever hear the young Dragon Slayer to raise her voice of the sort, and even less to defend a girl that had, barely a few days before, tried to destroy her own previous Guild.

"S-she's my friend too," Wendy returned to her embarrassed mumbling when she noticed the looks she was getting. "A-and if she's hurt, then I'll be able to at least do something for her."

"We will gladly receive your assistance, Wendy," assured Erza, offering a strained smile at the smaller girl.

"Very well, then," concluded Makarov with a sigh. "Your team will-"

 _Guess it's time or us too, uh? Damn, what that kid makes me do._

"Count us in," then cut Cobra, instantly drawing all's attention.

...

...

...

"What the hell!? What are you even doing here!?" gaped Gray, only now noticing him.

"Oh, right," blinked Mirajane. "You were gone when the Master made the announcement… well, Cobra here is now a part of Fairy Tail!"

"WHAT!?"

"If they're going, then I want to go too!" then announced Levy.

"Count all of our team in!" agreed instantly Jet and Droy.

"Guess I'll tag along," shrugged Gajeel, stuffing his face with iron.

Soon enough, the Guild was once again buzzing with energy, though it was this time provoked by all's intentions to go and bring back the Thief Mage.

"There is no time for this, children," the Master then hit the ground with his staff quieting everyone. "Gray, Lucy, Natsu, Happy, Erza, Wendy, Carla and Cobra will go after the Doctor at once to rescue Kaelys. Cobra, I am afraid Cubellios will have to stay here. She is still in no shape for a fight. Meanwhile, the rest of the Guild will take care of rebuilding Magnolia. I shall personally bring Daphne to the Council and explain the situation, for I fear that Kaelys's disappearance may provoke their wrath."

All Mages cringed a little, and Gray paled. While he held good intentions –and yes, maybe some grudges, but that was another story- about Kaelys, he had forgotten about her being actually a mission of Fairy Tail. If the Council heard of her disappearance, then they would more than probably be able to pin the blame on Fairy Tail and, in the worst case scenario, have the Guild disbanded.

"Now go," he ordered, serious. "And bring me back my daughter."

"Hai!"

All wizards that weren't chosen to leave made place for Team Natsu to get going, though whatever would happen when the card activated wasn't very clear. Cobra patted Cubellios's head, silently promising to bring the teen back safely, before joining the others.

The chosen members gathered around Gray, and all nodded, determined. He made a face when his eyes met Cobra's, who's glare promised death and suffering.

 _I really fucked up, haven't I?_

After another moment, not really knowing what to do, he sent a burst of Magic into the card. Instantly, a black hole opened under their feet and swallowed down the whole group.

* * *

"How are you feeling today, Kaelys?"

The girl didn't answer. She was simply laying on her bed, facing the wall and her back to him. Her eyes were dry, and the voices were quiet, for once.

She had no more tears to shed.

"I see," sighed Doctor Shawn, scratching the back of his head with the tip of his pen. "Would you like to talk about your dream, then?"

Only silence answered him. With an heavy sigh, he then gathered his papers and got back on his feet. Pushing the chair under the table, he shot one last look at the teen's form before heading out.

As soon as the door closed, though, he could no longer hold it in. A grin stretched his lips, troubling the illusion placed upon his whole face. His skin rippled, his left eye replaced by an empty hole and a sickening scar.

"What a troubled child," he shook his head, walking away with a bounce in his step. "But no worries, I'll make her all better soon enough, yes! Soon, soon, soon~"

His mad laugh echoed in the empty hallways, his only answer being the wind howling furiously outside, warning any who would listen of the storm that was about to befall.

* * *

"Ow…"

Lucy groaned. She had landed on something soft, but the breath had then been knocked out of her as a weight landed on her back. She was sure it would leave its mark on her already sore and bruised body.

 _Wait… did it work?_

"Get off!"

She fell from where she had landed, and hit the floor. Hissing in pain, she rubbed her shoulder –which had taken the brunt of the fall- before realizing herself and all the others had actually fallen onto Gray, and not to gently if his pained expression was anything to go by.

 _Serves him right._

The blonde wasn't a person to hold grudges but right now, no matter the good intentions he may have had, Gray made a real mistake. Honestly, she'd rather spend the day with Cobra than talk to the Ice Make Mage right now.

"Aren't I flattered."

Lucy 'eeped' at the grunt, only now noticing the Poison Dragon Slayer. He snorted at her reaction, and she flushed in slight embarrassment.

However, the fun was of short notice.

"What the hell is this place?"

At Natsu's question, the Celestial Mage finally took the time to take a look around, only to freeze in place as a cold sweat rolled down her spine.

They had landed in what seemed to be the remains of an office. Heavy stacks of papers were littering the floor, its carpet ripped and stained. Some windows were broken and large wooden planks were blocking the sunlight. The desk had lost its shine, growing a dull yellow, and the numerous certificates decorating the filthy walls were barely hanging, most of the frames broken or covered in too much dust to be readable.

The little nameplate carefully placed on the desk seemed to be the only clean thing in the whole place.

 _Shawn Cruz_

 _Certified Doctor of_

 _Hanwell Asylum_

"We're… in her world…?" gasped the Celestial Mage.

"Apparently," Cobra scrunched his nose in disdain, a weird smell floating in the room. "Sure hope leaving will be as easy as coming in, though."

The blonde was far from at ease with the S-Class Mage in the vicinity, but she couldn't bring herself to distrust him. After all, he too had come for Kaelys. That _had_ to count for something.

So, she decided to simply roll with it and hope for the best.

"Can you hear her?" she asked.

He blinked, surprised she had accepted so quickly his presence. Then, he shrugged slightly, shaking his head in a negative gesture.

"There's something interfering with my Sound Magic," he huffed. "I can't hear clearly, and I can't catch her scent either."

"Same," called Natsu, sniffing the room with a cringe. "Ugh, it smells so weird…"

Erza frowned, and her eyes suddenly widened un understanding. Without wasting a second, she went to Natsu and tied tightly the scarf around his nose and mouth.

"H-hey!" he protested, wriggling around.

"There are drugs in this room," she warned, and he stopped moving. "If you try too hard to catch Kaelys's scent, then you'll inhale some of it. Cobra, do you need-"

"I'm the _Poison_ Dragon Slayer," he rolled his eyes. "I'd say drugs are the perfect snack for an empty stomach. To me, at least."

"Right. Wendy?" the red-haired woman glanced to the child.

"I'm fine," she assured with a slight smile. "My Healing Magic protects me from most forms of infections, so drugs don't really have an effect on me."

"Alright, though do not push yourself."

"Hai."

Before she could add anything, though, a laugh echoed from behind the sole door, which was closed. Startled, it took them a few seconds to react.

"Quick, everyone hide!" ordered Erza. "Gray, you try to occupy him and drive him away while we search the building. Cobra, back him up. The Doctor haven't seen you yet, so he won't be able to associate you with us."

"R-right!"

"I'm not doing this for _you,"_ warned the maroon-haired man through his teeth.

Without wasting a second, the rest of the group ducked behind the dark curtains in the back of the room, though Natsu was dragged by Erza –he simply wanted to beat the man to a pulp-.

A few seconds later, Doctor Shawn arrived.

"My, oh my, what an excellent surprise!" he grinned widely when he saw them. "This dear Gray, how's Daphne going? Well, I'd presume. I did help create the Dragonoid, after all… ooh, and who's your little friend?"

The 'little friend' had to bite his tongue to avoid wringing the man's neck here and there. He could smell Kaelys on him, though it was faint.

"Daphne's good, she's off destroying another town," shrugged Gray, easily slipping back into his previous role. "Magnolia didn't stand a chance. We picked that one up on the way, he helped out and now he wants his payment."

"Which would be~?" the Doctor sauntered to his desk.

He grabbed the nameplate and a tissue that was lying around. He then started scrubbing it without even noticing.

"Drugs," Cobra cut in, nonchalant. "Said you had a bunch of good ones around. Care to share a little?"

"Well, they don't come pretty cheap, you know~"

"I'm ready to pay if you're ready to bargain," he retorted, raising an eyebrow. "Sure hope you've got the right stuff, though. I ain't paying for copies."

"Of course, of course, seems like we have a grand connoisseur," taunted the Doctor, placing down the nameplate. "Well, why don't you follow me? I'll show you around, even give you a free tour! And who knows, maybe I'll even show you my newest invention! I've been working on it for a while, and I can't wait, wait, wait to show it to the world~!"

Cobra shrugged without a care, making the one-eyed Mage clap his hands together with a giggle. He then gestured for the both of them to follow him, instantly moving ahead. Both boys shared a look, before heading out with the man.

* * *

.

.

As soon as they were out of sight, the others came out of their hideout.

"Ugh, he smelled nasty," Natsu made a face, his scarf still tied around it. "I could smell it through the clothe- whoa!"

He lost his balance, his foot trapped in the curtains, and crashed on the floor. The carpet trapped any sound that may have betrayed their presence, but the black drapes behind which they had been hiding fell too.

"Natsu, are you okay?" Lucy helped him up, worried.

"I think the drugs are getting to me," he groaned, a little lightheaded. "We should get out of here, fast."

"G-guys…"

At Wendy's call, they reported their attention to where she was looking, only to stiffen. There, pinned on the wall, were numerous papers and journal articles. The Titania grabbed the nearest one, which was a report on a bloody attack upon the Hanwell Asylum. There had been over thirty killed, and a dozen more injured, and the escapee hadn't been seen since, believed to still be roaming free.

"That must have been when Kaelys escaped," remarked Lucy, her tone somber. "She wasn't joking when she said it hadn't been pretty, uh?"

"I don't think I'll ever accept how she killed all those people," admitted Natsu, strangely serious for once. "But I think I can understand _why_ she did it."

"T-the asylum was shut down after her escape," announced Wendy, reading another article with wide eyes. "It says the Doctor in charge of the place went insane and started experimenting on the other patients so as to find the 'perfect cure' for the escapee. Do you think…"

"That's him, without a doubt," nodded Carla, checking another file higher on the wall. "Himself has escaped the asylum in which he had been incarcerated for treatment, and has obviously been hiding here ever since. The patients and nurses he killed during his experiments were never found either."

"Do you think Kaelys is okay?" wondered Happy with teary eyes.

"I'm sure she is," assured Erza, patting his head. "But we have to get moving, and fast. Wendy, Carla, you'll be coming with me to the lower floors. Natsu, Lucy, Happy, you will go search the higher floors. Splitting up will make us gain some time, but we shouldn't go alone. If one of us ever runs into the Doctor, then don't bother with hiding our presence any longer and do whatever you can to warn the rest that our cover is blown. Is everyone ready?"

"Hai!"

"Then spread out!"

* * *

.

.

Erza Scarlet, Wendy Marvell and her companion Carla were heading for the lower floors. Natsu Dragneel, Lucy Heartfilia and the cat Happy were going the opposite way, upstairs. Meanwhile, Gray Fullbuster and Cobra, former member of Oración Seis, were occupying Doctor Shawn, the instigator of Kaelys's nightmares and scars. Kaelys herself was still in her cell, lying on her bed without a clue about what was happening outside, and slowly succumbing to despair.

One group wanted to save the girl. A single man wished to heal her, unaware of his own madness. And slowly but surely, the teen's own mind was destroying itself. Not much time was left for any of those goals to be accomplished.

"Kaelys, hang in there," muttered Lucy, taking a sharp right.

"She'll be fine, Luce," assured Natsu, following. "She's a Fairy Tail Mage, after all!"

"Aye sir!" agreed Happy.

 _Tick._

"We need to move faster," announced Erza.

"Hai!" agreed Wendy, accelerating.

"Be careful!" warned Carla.

 _Tack._

"You better be safe, Loudmouth," grunted Cobra, low enough for no one to hear.

 _Tick._

"Soon," giggled Doctor Shawn, his eye rolling in its orbit. "Soon, soon, soon~"

"I can't believe I let this psycho get his hands on her," Gray shuddered.

 _Tack._

"It was real… wasn't it…?" Kaelys curled up in her bed, head in her hands. "No… no, it wasn't…"

 _Tick._

In the end, there would be only one winner.

 _Tack._

* * *

 **Err... don't hate me? I'm-sorry-not-sorry, but I needed to end on another cliffhanger! I love those so much... Also, I wanted to apologize concerning the dialogues. I only now realized a certain mistake -the missing comas and such-. So, I'll be trying to pay more attention now, promise!**

 **So, what did you think? There are still one and a half chapter of this 'Arc' left, so I hope you're not too bored yet. I can't wait to see your reviews!**

 **With loads of love, this is Akuma: over and out!**


	13. The Way Back Home

**Alright kiddies! So, I feel kind of bad for ending the last chapter on such a cliffhanger, and since so many people has shown me their support AND because there are loads of new readers, well, I've been feeling generous. So, here's the new chapter!**

 **Let's go!**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

"She's not here either," growled Natsu, slamming the door shut.

"This is getting us nowhere," groaned Lucy. "We've checked all the rooms but this place has been abandoned for ages! I don't understand where he could be keeping her, he-"

"Wait."

She stopped talking, looking over at the pink-haired boy. He was sniffing the air, his scarf since long having returned to his neck, and seemed to have caught something.

"Can you smell her, Natsu?" asked Happy, hopeful.

"I dunno… there's a really weird smell coming from this way," he frowned, staring at a closet farther down the hallway.

"Wait, Natsu-"

Ignoring the blonde, he went to the closet and forced the door open. It was locked, but it easily broke under his strength. Throwing it aside, he let out a disgusted noise as he backed away, an heavy smell of bad flesh instantly filling the hallway.

"W-what _is_ that?" the Celestial Mage's body heaved as she slapped her hands over her mouth and noise.

She went to check inside what could possibly create such a disgusting smell, but soon regretted the idea as its source revealed itself.

"Oh my God…"

The girl snapped her eyes shut, but it was too late, the image already burned in her mind with no hopes of disappearing anytime soon: the closet was full of corpses, or at least what was left of them. There were too many, rotting away and full of squirming worms. Without a word, Natsu replaced the door as much as he could, hiding away the nightmarish vision.

"They must be the people that crazy Doctor killed," he remarked somberly. "Come on, Luce, Happy. We've got to find Lys and go back home."

"R-right…" pale, the blonde simply hugged Happy for comfort, who hugged her back with the same need.

Then, the three of them moved forward. They couldn't waste anymore time. If they were too late, then Kaelys would surely end up like those poor people.

* * *

When their little group reached the basement, Erza was fearing the worst. When Carla turned on the light, though, nothing seemed out a place. While filthy because of its lack of use, the basement was scarily normal.

In the back of the room were numerous shelves, full of papers meticulously placed in alphabetical order. Curious, Wendy grabbed one, and read a few lines.

"Those are medical files," she realized, surprised. "Anna Hale, twelve years old, suffers from an anxiety disorder…"

"Henry Boyld, nine years old, suffers from an extreme mood disorder…" Carla read out loud another one.

"They're all children, or at least people under eighteen," remarked Erza, flicking through some other files. "This must have been an asylum that specialized in younger patients."

"K-Kaelys-san passed a year with Oración Seis, and joined after she escaped," recalled Wendy, biting her lower lip. "H-how long do you think she was in here, Erza-san?"

"I do not know," sighed the woman, before glancing once more at the shelves. "Although…"

Without a second thought, she went to the 'K' section, in the girl's division. As she reached what she looking for, though, she only found an empty space.

"Her file is missing," she narrowed her eyes.

"It's here!" called Wendy, farther away.

Turning around, Erza found the girl leaning over a desk covered with papers and other documents. The file was there, a picture of a much younger Kaelys pinned on it. There was also some sort of journal next to it.

Grabbing the file, Wendy read the grand lines of it.

"Suffers from a severe case of schizophrenia, can hear two distinct voices with which she is able to converse normally," read the Sky Dragon Slayer. "Arrived at the age of eleven. The illness comes from her genetics, her father and grand-mother had it before she did. Also suffers from the _Alexandria's Genesis_ , unable to think 'inside of her head' like usual people, and thus can only say the truth… it goes on like that for a while, too."

"So she truly is insane-"

"Carla!" protested Wendy.

"I am only stating the truth," huffed the cat, crossing her arms over her chest. "And if you had let me finish, you would have understood that I am not condemning the girl for it. I may be wary, but no child should be treated the way she was, mental illness or not."

At that, the blue-haired girl beamed at her. Carla could only smile back, though it was more strained. After all, understanding someone's situation didn't mean she accepted it. The girl needed serious help, though she doubted she'd get it anytime soon with that crazy Guild of theirs.

"This is the Doctor's journal," announced Erza, drawing their attention to the small book they had found, now in her hands. "He was the one in charge of her, and kept very thorough observations on the girl for the years she has spent here. It would seem the usual methods however failed to make any advance, and he found no other solution than to use drugs and electroconvulsive therapy, a treatment however forbidden by the law here."

"Poor Kaelys…" murmured Wendy, looking aside in sorrow.

"It would seem he completely lost his mind when she managed to escape," added Erza, gritting her teeth. "Started testing drugs and 'new treatments' on other patients, and then fellow doctors and nurses when they tried to intervene, killing all of them in the process. According to his writings, each experiment failed, until he discovered…"

"Discovered what?" pressed Carla, raising an eyebrow.

"Magic," the red-haired woman swallowed the bitter taste that was rising in her throat. "He discovered his Magic. It would seem Magic is a notion of fantasy tales in this world, hence why he managed such 'great advances' when he finally found a way to use it. It would seem he was trying to build a machine to 'heal' Kaelys."

Anger pumping in her blood, she snapped the book shut.

"And it would seem he finally achieved his goal."

"Y-you mean he's going to try it on Kaelys-san?" blanched Wendy.

"So it would seem. We must make haste and find her before he achieves his evil deeds. With some luck, Gray and Cobra are still occupying him."

The knight Requiped away both the journal and the medical file, knowing it might help later on, before heading away. They had no more business here, and they need to move faster.

Much, much faster.

* * *

"And here we are~! So, what do you gentlemen think?"

The two boys could only stare as the doors closed behind them. The room was gigantic, with some sort of machine in the middle of it. There was a pod at the bottom, with loads of electrodes and needles inside. The whole thing seemed connected to a computer.

"W-what's all of this?" stammered Gray, wariness clearly in his tone.

"That, my boys, is the solution! Yes, yes, yes, the solution to all and every problem! This wonderful machine of my creation will heal everyone from every everything!" he announced proudly. "And Kaelys dear will be the first to be blessed with the wonders of mental stability amongst so many others! Oh, yes, I will finally heal her, and she'll thank me for it once it's done! Before, though, I still have to conduct one last little test…"

"Test?" Gray echoed.

He felt sick. How he had failed to see the man's insanity was beyond him, and guilt was eating him away. If Shawn hadn't given him the card earlier, then they would have been unable to find her in time, and her doubted her would have been able to forgive himself if that had happened.

"Not the time, popsicle dick," huffed lowly the Dragon Slayer next to him, narrowing his eyes at the man giggling before them. "Let's get this over with."

"You wanna kill him!?" he shook his head violently. "No way, we've got to hand him over to the Magic Council. They'll take care of the bastard."

"What, locking him up forever?" he snorted. "As if. As long as he's alive, he'll find a way to come after her. I ain't taking the chance- _fuck!"_

"W-what?"

The maroon-haired man offered no answer, spinning around and growling lowly towards the Doctor, who spun gingerly in place.

"What the hell did you just do?" Cobra seethed.

"Hmm, that little trick?" he laughed, his finger pointing up. "Well, my Magic is quite useful, you know? It can absorb objects, people, spells… Magic itself."

Realization dawned on Gray. He tried to call forth his Magic, but found himself unable to even sense his core.

The Doctor stopped laughing suddenly, his face now serious.

"I'm not stupid, boys. You think I couldn't sense the presence of the others? You used _my_ Black Hole to come here, and I know that there's exactly six of you, plus two annoying pets. Why, take a look at this!"

He grabbed a remote control, and different screens opened at once, apparently surveillance cameras that were hidden in the whole building. On two of the screens, they could make out the forms of their companions, still searching the building and completely unaware their cover was already blown.

"I had to be careful when coming back here," he shrugged. "After all, I _am_ a wanted man. The police have been hot on my trail for a while, but I couldn't just move to your world either. It would have been too easy for Kaelys dear to escape otherwise, or for you fools to find us."

"I don't get it," Gray clenched his fists. "You're the one who gave me the card!"

"Ignorant fool," taunted the Doctor, his scar stretching in an ugly wound. "I've been playing my part of the act much longer than you. Recognizing amateurs is quite easy, I assure you. But no worries, Gray Fullbuster! You and your little friends still have an important part to play in the show."

"Stop screwing around!" snarled Cobra, taking a step forward. "Where is she!?"

"Ooh, yes, yes," nodded thoughtfully the insane man, turning his back to them to control something on the keyboard. "Thank you for reminding me. You still need to practice your lines, yes? Though I do believe you're a little late, Kaelys has already learned hers. And you know what else? She's doing _great."_

He pushed down a button, and the ground shook slightly. Then, the wall in the back of the room opened, revealing an hallway.

"She's just down there," he grinned widely, spinning around once more to face them again. "Go straight ahead, you won't miss her lodge. Don't disturb our star too much, though. We wouldn't want her to miss the show. She _is_ the main attraction, after all~"

"Like hell we'll fall for that!" snapped the Dragon Slayer.

"Hold it, Poison Breath," cut in Gray, looking over at the screens. "He's saying the truth."

Following the number of the cameras and their positions, they easily found the hallway through which they were supposed to go. At the end of it was a door, and behind that door was the form of one who could be none other than Kaelys.

"Now, there isn't much time left before the curtains rise for the final act," warned Shawn, stifling a laugh. "As soon as the rest of the audience gets here, then we'll get started! So you better go now if you wanna see her! Now, now, now!"

He started laughing again, falling in the nearest chair that started spinning on itself. The two Mages, still unable to use their Magics, shared a look.

"Go," finally ordered Cobra, gritting his teeth. "If we both go, then we won't be able to do much if it's truly a trap. And honestly? While I hate the very thought of you in the same damn room as her, I don't trust you with handling that guy either. Plus, something's clearly wrong with her."

"At least you're honest," huffed the Ice Make Wizard, however not protesting. "But what do you mean?"

"She _never_ slept while lying down, and even less with her back to a door."

"Right…"

"Get going. I'll keep an eye on him," concluded the older man. "And I swear to the shithead up there that if you fuck up one more time-"

"Yep, nope, no worries. I'll bring her back."

Before the Dragon Slayer could add anything, Gray ran to the door and darted down the hallway without another look behind.

* * *

.

.

When he finally reached the door, it opened before he could even put his hand on the handle. Shooting a slight glare at the camera in the corner, he then entered, instantly feeling something was off.

Not only was there no magic whatsoever in the air, but the teen –who was lying on the bed- hadn't even reacted to his presence.

"Err… Kaelys?"

She stiffened at his voice. Then, as he thought she was about to turn around and face him, she simply curled up on herself and hid her head even more in the pillow, hands slapped over her ears.

"He's not here… none of them are here… why would they be? They're not real, none of them are…"

"What are you blabbering about?" he went to her, slightly annoyed. "Come on, get up! We came to save your ass, so-"

She wasn't listening to him, though, mumbling under her breath and rocking forth and back.

"It's starting again… I don't want it to start again, I don't want to be trapped again, I don't want to go back… no, I want to go back, but I can't… no, I can't go back…"

"Alright, that's enough."

He gripped her shoulder. Instantly, she screeched and kicked him away, hitting him straight in the guts. The air was knocked out of him, and he landed on his arse. He cursed and was about to snap at her when he realized that she had backed away in the farther corner of the room, heads between her knees and her body shaking.

"He's not here… it's in my head, why would they be here? They're not even real… then why does it hurts so much? I want to go back, but I can't, because none of it was real, and it never will be…"

And suddenly, the boy wanted to hit himself very, very hard. Too caught up in his own insecurities and the ticking time, he had been about to make the same goddamn mistakes as before.

 _I can't force things. No matter the time, we can't go anywhere with her in that state._

So, with an heavy sigh, he sat on her bed, rubbing his stomach.

"I'm very much real, I'd say," he remarked, his tone loosing some of the usual coldness with which he treated the girl. "And I also felt that kick, if you want to know."

She still wasn't listening, though.

"Why are you so intent on believing we we're not real?"

"Magic doesn't exist. Other worlds don't exist. Fairy Tail doesn't exist. All of this was an hallucination caused by the drug those damned doctors used on me," she answered, voice shaky and hollow. "What was I thinking? I want to believe, but it hurts so much knowing I won't ever be able to go back… I would have been better off with never going there in the first place..."

"So what, you're giving up?" he raised an eyebrow. "Didn't think you had it in you."

"I'm not giving up!" she protested, hiding her head even more. "But why am I arguing? He's not real either, he's not here, he never was…"

"Lucy is very real, and very worried too," he shrugged, making himself more comfortable. "Erza feels like she's to blame, Natsu's all fired up to play the hero again, Wendy wants to help and even that asstard Poison Dragon Slayer tagged along. If we're not real, then why can we feel this much?"

"He's in my head, none of this is happening anyway," she was stubborn, that was for sure.

Not knowing what else to do, he got back on his feet and crouched in front of her so that he could be to her eye level.

"Look at me."

She didn't move.

"Look at me in the eyes, and tell me I'm not real," he insisted.

After seconds that felt like an eternity, she finally raised her head. Her purple eyes were dimmed, and met his with an agonizing darkness lurking in them. She stared, feeling the cold emanating from his skin despite the distance between them.

"You're…"

 _'_ _He's here! He's really here!'_

 **'** **Stop driving her mad! You know he isn't!'**

 _'_ _I know he IS! That Doctor didn't give us any drug for a while now, so she can't be hallucinating!'_

 **'** **She's still insane! She doesn't need drugs to see things!'**

"I'm not crazy!" she cried, backing away from him. "And he's… and he's…"

 _'_ _It's really him. And if what he said is true, then the others have also come after you'_

 **'** **Well, even if it's him, why the hell did he come? He's the one who sent her back here in the first place!'**

"Why you?" she finally asked, making him jump a little. "You've betrayed Fairy Tail… you sent me back here… you hated me since the first time we met, so why… why the hell would you come after me!?"

Silence ensued as her cry echoed in the room.

Gray clenched his fists. He truly had been an ass. He couldn't help but understand why he had been acting this way, but it still wasn't okay. As soon as Kaelys received her Guild Mark, she became a member of his family. And yes, maybe she had some troubles and maybe she was different and sure, she made loads of mistakes. But, just like him, she was ready to learn. He had been forgiven, and he had nearly _destroyed_ what he held most dear with the Dragonoid incident. Why should she be refused that same chance?

 _She shouldn't._

"Because I'm sorry," he finally gave in, head lowered in shame. "I made a grave mistake. I let my biased opinion drive my actions and you were hurt because of that. I'll never be able to apologize enough and you'll never forgive me, but getting you out of the mess I pushed you into is the least I can do to atone for my… my betrayal. I'm sorry, Kaelys, I really am, but I _beg_ of you! Don't forsake Fairy Tail just because of a stupid decision I made by myself. Your family haven't given up on you yet… so please, _please_ don't give up on us either."

He bowed fully. His ragged breath was the sole sound that could be hear for a while. Then, after what felt like hours, he felt a weight on his head. He snapped his eyes open, surprised, and raised them to meet Kaelys's once more.

She let her hand rest on his head, not moving.

"… what are you doing?" he finally asked, confused.

Finally, some other emotion than distrust, fear and despair appeared on her traits, a faint red of embarrassment now covering her cheeks.

"Isn't that what friends do when they… forgive? Like, a comforting gesture? I'm not really good with those," she admitted, pulling her hand away.

He could only laugh, startled. Then, a slight smile stretched his lips, and he ruffled her hair, earning a squeak of protested.

"That's how you do it," he replied. "And don't be too quick to forgive, I really don't deserve it. Anyway, ready to go?"

"Go where?"

He sweatdropped, before shaking his head and getting back on his feet, extending his hand to her.

"Home, duh."

 _'_ _Take it'_

 **'** **Break it'**

After another second of hesitation, she grabbed his hand, and he pulled her back to her own feet. She swayed a little, but he steadied her.

"I haven't eaten since I've got here…" she muttered, before blinking. "I still don't think you're all real, though. My Magic isn't there, all of my previous scars and injuries have disappeared, and even that Doctor's eyes are still both in place."

"Illusions," he instantly answered. "And Black Holes. They're sucking out our Magic to stop us from using it, and he's using magical tools to create illusions. My guess would be…"

Without much ceremonies, he grabbed the bracelet around her wrist and ripped it apart. Her whole body tingled, and her previously unmarked skin returned to the one she had gotten used to: a little damaged and full of memories literally carved into it.

 _'_ _See, see!? It's all real! That damn Doctor had us fooled!'_

 **'** **I can't believe it… but still! How did they all got here? Aren't we supposed to be in another world or something?'**

Kaelys hummed slightly, noticing the brown stain on the floor. Gray looked down, and gulped a little, easily realizing what it was.

"You don't want to know," she shook her head. "How did you get here anyway?"

"We used his Black Hole," Gray shrugged, heading for the door without letting her go. "Now let's get going. That crazy guy is planning something, and I'd rather we be with all the others when that happens."

"Right."

As they walked out, a wave of cold washed over her. She shivered, before noticing the state of the place: it was dark and fucking filthy. All of the other cells were empty, and obvious stains of blood were covering the decrepit walls.

"The place has been abandoned for a while," informed Gray as they walked away from her cell. "Other than the Doctor and you, there's no one else here."

"They must have shut down the place after I escaped," she nodded, thoughtful.

 _'_ _This was all REAL! Ah, suck it up!'_

 **'** **Fine, fine! You win! I still don't like that ice bastard, though. If everything truly happened as we remember it, then he's the one who sent us here!'**

 _'_ _Haven't you heard his apology? Seems like he feels really guilty about it. How many people have actually bowed to Kaelys before, leaving themselves fully open? He was ready to receive any retribution she would give. Not many have that kind of guts'_

 **'…** **he knew she wouldn't harm him?'**

 _'_ _He didn't believe it, though. Let's not argue about that now, though. What matters in this moment is to return to everyone and go back'_

 **'** **There's still the Doctor, though'**

"But we've got Gray and all the others," replied Kaelys. "It'll be a piece of cake. Hey, Gray? Who came with you again?"

"Lucy, obviously," he snorted, hands shoved in his pockets. "She wanted to rip my head off after all that shit with Daphne and the Dragonoid was over. Natsu and Happy wanted to save you too. Erza feels like she's responsible for your kidnapping and will more than probably ask you to hit her for it. Wendy also came, in case you needed to treat some injuries, and Carla obviously tagged along to keep an eye on her. Oh, there's also that bastard snake guy from Oración Seis-"

"Cobra's here!?"

"Uh? Yeah, I was surprised too," he rolled his eyes. "Found out he was joining the Guild just before coming here. Things are kind of weird right now."

"I can't believe he came… that any of them did…"

He glanced at her, sensing her disbelief, and felt like shit once again.

How could he have ever hated that girl? She was just a kid. Borderline insane, yes, but still a kid that had obviously no notion of self-worth.

"Of course we came, Kaelys," he retorted, patting her head. "That's what family's for, right?"

She gaped for a moment, before beaming at him.

He could only smile back, before the pursued on their way.

"Gray?"

"Hmm?"

"Where's your shirt?"

"Aww, shit"

* * *

.

.

"Humph."

"Well, ain't that a surprise," Cobra grinned.

"Don't go mocking me, boy," Shawn shot him a glare. "This is but a setback. While having her trapped in that state of mind would have helped greatly, I can still accomplish my work."

"Do you really think we'd let you?" retorted the criminal in disbelief. "We're nine… well, kinda, and you're alone. You ain't touching her _ever_ again."

"Yet you can't stop me~"

The Poison Dragon Slayer was about to offer a snarky reply, but found himself unable to when a Black Hole opened under him. Jumping aside barely in time, he narrowed his eyes at the dangerous foe. He may be their sole enemy, but he was also batshit crazy and able to use his Magic. If they wanted a chance, they needed to get rid of his own powers first.

"You're fast," the man's eyes glinted in delight. "But not fast enough!"

The former member of Oración Seis jumped once more, but found himself surrounded by darkness. He couldn't see, couldn't hear, couldn't breathe… wait, breathe? He needed that! He started trashing around, suffocating. If he didn't get out of there fast, he'd be done for. How pathetic would that be? And he was supposed to be S-Class too!

"You can't fight it!" taunted the Doctor, watching with sickening glee as the maroon-haired boy struggled in the sphere of nothingness. "And I'm going to kill you and all of your companions one by one, until none are left! And once Kaelys has nothing to go back to, she'll truly be destroyed and I'll finally be able to build her back again! I'll smash her mind to to ground before picking up the pieces and glue them together to heal her perfectly, like any good Doctor would do for their favorite patient! Right? Right, right, _right!?"_

Cobra's movements started to slow down. He was still alive, barely. He couldn't hear the jests from his enemy, but Shawn didn't care.

"But first, I gotta kill you," he repeated, strengthening the Black Sphere. "I'm going to kill you, and then I'll kill that red-haired woman, then the cats, then Fullbuster, and I'll keep the blonde for last since Kaelys likes her so much! I'll keep the smaller one alive, though. I don't kill kids, after all, I heal them! Yes, I'll heal her too, since she'll obviously be traumatized by everything… but no worries! I'll put her in my machine and she'll be destroyed and rebuilt too! Yes, I'll heal them both and I'll kill everyone else~"

"LIKE HELL YOU WILL!"

Unable to react in time, the man was propelled against a wall. He collapsed on the ground, and his spell instantly dissolves. Cobra hit the floor, coughing and gasping, as Kaelys and Gray finally came back.

The teen was _very_ angry.

"How could you use your Magic?" blinked Gray.

"He was concentrating his power on the Black Sphere, so the Black Holes were weakened and I was able to grasp my Magic again, though it was brief." answered the girl in a blank tone.

He then noticed how something had just… switched, or something. She wasn't the same Kaelys anymore. She seemed more mature, more calculative…

More dangerous.

"Where are the others?" she demanded coldly.

"Kaelys!"

The Thief Mage's persona switched again as Lucy slammed the doors open and ran inside the room, relief washing over her.

"Lucy-nee!" she was back to being a kid.

They both hugged tightly, and a few tears escaped Lucy's eyes as she rocked them back and forth, murmuring prayers and thanks under her breath to whatever deity may have been listening.

"I'm so glad you're okay," she kissed the girl's forehead. "So, so glad…"

 _'_ _It's nice to see her again'_

 **'** **We can agree on that'**

"Luce! You can't just run ahead like that!"

Natsu burst in, carried by Happy. His next whine died down when he noticed the state of the two girls, and a wide grin spread on his face.

"Lys! It's great to see you again! So, everything's fine?" he beamed at her.

 **'** **He's annoying, but I guess we're cool'**

 _'_ _Just get over your damn ego and admit you like him'_

 **'** **As if'**

"Y-yeahm" the teen finally pulled away from the blonde, sending him a small smile. "All's fine. What about the others?"

"They're coming. Right now, actually."

As if on cue, the three missing members of the rescue party arrived. Seeing Kaelys safe and sound, Wendy let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding, before going to her with a smile.

"Are you alright? Are you hurt somewhere?"

"N-no, he didn't do anything," answered the black-haired mage, surprised at the genuine concern in the younger's tone.

 _'_ _She's so CUTE! Can we keep her?'_

 **'** **Do we have to take the cat too, though? Feels like it's a package deal'**

"I am glad to see you safe, Kaelys," Erza stepped forward, a fist held over her heart, and she bowed fully. "I apologize for my lack of awareness! Had I been more able, I could have prevented you from being abducted! You were taken while under my watch, and for that I cannot be forgiven lightly! Please feel free to punch me!"

 **'** **And you're supposed to be the insane one?'**

 _'_ _I think it's sweet'_

Kaelys shot a somewhat frightened look at Gray, who shrugged while mouthing 'I told you so'. Making a face, she returned her attention to Erza, who was still bowing.

"I can't do that," she refused, taking a step back. "Punching you would hurt you, and I promised to never hurt a fellow guild member. Plus, you're not responsible for me ending up here. I… I should have known he would find a way to come after me. I think that, deep down, I knew I'd never be safe… but I let my guard down, and I'm the only one to blame for it."

"But-"

"If you really, _really,_ want to blame someone else, then take that one," with that, she jabbed her thumb Gray's way.

"Hey!"

"She does have a point," he paled at Erza's sudden glare. "However, we will talk over it once we are back to the Guild. Right now, we need to stop the Doctor and find a way back into our own world."

"Easy, we just have to- wait, OUR WORLD!? You mean we're IN ANOTHER WORLD!?" exclaimed Natsu, his eyes almost bulging out.

Kaelys blinked at his outburst.

"Oh, guess I never told him…" she realized. "I'm from another world, where Magic doesn't exactly exist. Or at least, it isn't accessible for people. It's really awful too, and _your_ world is much better."

"Of course it is," Natsu agreed instantly, smug. "Though what kind of world doesn't have magic? That's crazy!"

"Says the guy who can eat fire and grow scales," snorted Gray, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Eh? You wanna go, Ice Bastard?"

"Bring it on, Flame Retard!"

"Knock it out!" Erza hit them both over the head.

They collapsed to their knees, tears comically falling down as they rubbed the sore spots, moaning in pain.

"Yes ma'am…"

"Ah, you're so weak..."

At the familiar voice, Kaelys froze. Slowly turning around, she only then noticed the Poison Dragon Slayer sitting on the ground, an hand massaging his throat and his usual scowl in place.

"Cobra!"

"Hey, Loudmouth," he greeted, the scowl softening.

 _'_ _He's really here!'_

 **'** **At lasr! One** ** _I_** **trust'**

 _'_ _You're just a hopeless case. Loosen up a little'_

 **'** **I'm not even _starting_ this fight'**

The Sound Mage had to stop himself from kicking the teen away when she suddenly trapped him in an out-of-character embrace, though. Stiff, he still tried to push her away, but it wasn't easy when she was practically pinning him to the floor.

"Alright, lemme breath a little, kid," he huffed.

"I'm so happy to see you," she held on tighter, burying her face in his coat. "When I left you behind, I thought... I thought…"

"… I'm fine," he assured, deciding to stop fighting against it and simply letting his hand fall on her head. "Everyone's fine. Still in prison but alive, so that has to count for something."

"I'm sorry, I'm so, so, so sorry… I left you behind, I turned my back to you, and I hate myself so much and I still don't really understand either but-"

"Hey, hey, hey, calm down, kid," he ruffled her hair, and she huffed while slapping his hand away, earning a chuckle. "No one's blaming you for it, alright? You did what you had to do to survive, just like any of us would have done in your place. Don't fry your brain too much over it, God knows you need it."

"Asshole."

"Bitch."

They both exchanged matching grins at that, and the teen finally let him go, helping him back up. When he noticed the looks from the rest of the Fairies, though, his eternal scowl return to its rightful place.

"What are you looking at?" he snapped.

They simply looked away, though obviously amused. If their expressions were anything to go by, then his reputation of the big bad criminal had taken a serious blow.

 _Just great._

Kaelys didn't seem to mind, though. In fact, now that his Magic was back, he could finally hear her soul, and what he heard wasn't what he was expecting.

The girl had changed a lot in the span of a single week. While another member wouldn't have been able to tell the difference, he could, and the change was _drastic._ The discorded, broken noises that used to distinguish her soul from the others had died down, and some sort of harmony had settled in. The melody was soft, often going off-note, but it was still a remarkable evolution.

He liked it better that way, too.

"Hey, where's the crazy Doctor?"

At Happy's innocent question, Gray and Kaelys stiffened –they were the only ones aware of what had happened to him in the first place-. Snapping their eyes to where they had left the unconscious criminal, they realized too late that he was gone.

"That shithead must have used his Magic to escape," cursed Cobra.

"We have to find him," frowned Lucy, grabbing Kaelys's hand. "He could attack us at any time, and Kae won't be safe as long as he's out there."

"He's also our only way out," pointed out Erza. "Without his Magic, we won't be able to head back to Fiore-"

 **"** **What, expecting to escape? How truly optimistic."**

"Show yourself!" the red-haired woman Requiped a sword in her hands.

A dark laugh echoed through the room, coming from an intercom placed in the higher corner of the room.

 **"** **None of you will leave this asylum alive, Erza Scarlet!"** cackled the insane Doctor. **"Now do stay still, and enjoy the show."**

The whole building started shaking. Then, electricity started crackling around the machine, a buzzing noise filling the room. The three Dragon Slayers hissed or gasped in pain, slapping their hands over their ears to block it out.

 **"** **Watch my wonderful creation as it takes life! You will be healed soon enough, Kaelys Cloves! Aren't you glad? Oh, because I am, yes I am! Bwahahah!"**

"Not if we stop you first!" she retorted, Requiping her Book.

She felt some relief at the familiar weight of the artifact. She was now well-aware that everything was very much real, but it still reassured her.

"Roar of the Fire Dragon!"

However, as she spat out the dangerous flames, they were diverted by yet another of those Black Holes. It wasn't as strong as the others, surely because the Doctor wasn't in the same room, but it still stopped her attack. Not that it had been hard, though, since the spell was off course to begin with.

"Those are getting annoying," she muttered.

 **'** **Ain't that the truth'**

 _'_ _What can we do? We can't destroy the machine, and none of them will be able to use their powers if they get in the same room as that guy'_

"We need to quickly find a solution," Erza gritted her teeth. "If his invention works, then we'll have even more trouble to stop him, what with him being able to nullify our Magic."

"Kaelys, didn't you manage to bypass his Black Holes earlier?" recalled Gray, leaning against the nearest desk so as not to loose his balance.

His words were like a switch. Her whole persona shifted, and she straightened her spine to face them, eyes blank.

"Because he was solely focus on something else," she shook her head, tone scarily mature. "Having an unstable mind, while it can make one's attacks more powerful, also hinders the user's control. Creating those Black Holes mustn't be easy, thus he can't use more than one kind at a time. This would explain why he isn't sucking out our Magic right away and simply protecting the machine."

"What the hell?" murmured Gray, still taken aback by her sudden change.

"Personality disorderm" answered quietly Carla, who had read her file.

"Right…"

"We need a diversion, then," nodded Lucy in understanding.

"Divide to conquer," instantly answered Kaelys, voice void. "We can't count on the Dragon Slayers for now, the noise is incapacitating them. We need a team that will destroy the machine while another takes care of the Doctor. This-"

"D-don't count us out j-just yet," protested Natsu, cringing in pain. "I'll t-take care of that d-damned thing, no sweat!"

"Shotgun o-on the psycho," Cobra added, barely standing.

"I w-want to h-help t-too," Wendy joined in.

Kaelys stared at them for a second, before nodding curtly.

"Erza, Natsu, Gray, you'll take care of the machine. Attacking different places at the same time should weaken his defenses. Lucy, Cobra, Wendy, you'll come with me to face that monster."

"What about me?" cried Happy.

"Provide support to the team here, and Carla will tag along with us," simply answered the teen. "Now let's go! As soon as the machine is set, then we won't stand a chance."

"Then let's make haste," concluded the red-haired knight, Requiping in her Black Wing Armor. "Gray, Natsu, Happy! Let's go!"

"Hai!"

They instantly assaulted the machine. Exchanging a determined look, the rest of the group then ran out of the room to go after the Doctor.

* * *

.

.

It took them a few minutes to find him, though it was more because of the distinct scent of drugs than anything else.

As soon as they entered the room, they felt their Magic being drained out of them.

"Sorry, no one is allowed backstage," the man's tone was light, but his single eye was flashing with annoyance. "Even less rats. Get out- _damn it_!"

He returned his attention on the machine room, where their friends were attacking it relentlessly. He couldn't focus on the two situations, either he defended the machine or he defended himself.

"Alright, asshole, let's get to it," Cobra cracked his knuckles, moving forward.

He may not be able to use his Magic, but he was still an hand-to-hand combat expert. No way was he letting the guy off easy, that psycho would end up in the Rune Knight's hands in more than one piece.

"Don't kill him," simply ordered Kaelys, eyes darker. "Fairy Tail doesn't kill."

"Tche, those Fairies really got in your head, uh?" but he didn't protest, no matter how much he wanted to.

Kaelys was the victim here. If she decided to let the guy live, then it was her decision to make, not his.

 _Even though that fucktard deserves the worst suffering imaginable._

Without wasting a second, he attacked. He was slowed down because of the black holes that kept opening under his feet, but they were too small to make any true damage.

Kaelys had been right. He _was_ hopeless when it came to control.

"Argh, damn it!"

Apparently, the Doctor found more important the security of his machine, for he stopped draining their Magic. Now grinning madly, Cobra didn't waste a second in charging his fist with a Fist of the Poison Dragon. However, no matter how many times he attacked, it was always blocked by the man, who was doing a thorough job of avoiding him.

Noticing the Dragon Slayer's trouble, Lucy decided to join in.

"Open, Gate of the Lion, Leo!"

The Leader of the Zodiac appeared, for once lacking his flirty attitude. He narrowed his eyes at the one-eyed man snarling like a cornered dog, and raised his fist.

"So that's the guy, uh?" his voice was like ice shards. "Permission to rip his other eye out, Princess?"

"Granted."

Loke wasn't a violent Spirit by nature, or rather he liked when things could end up cleanly. Blood was a pain to get out of his clothes, and it always left a scent that hung around for days after that. Plus, after the rather… tainted, missions he had executed under Karen's orders, he lost the grand majority of the blood thirst that usually accompanied his more... animal, side.

However, that man had hurt Kaelys, and he had tried to do it _again_. He couldn't simply let it go unpunished, and the beast inside of him was craving to see _red red red-_

"Loke, let's go."

"Right. _Regulus punch!"_

He charged forward, and Lucy grabbed her whip, before tilting her head Kaelys's way. The teen was still stuck in the more mature persona.

"Don't you want to…" the blonde trailed off, unsure of what she was asking.

Make the man suffer? Join in on the beating? Kill the guy? That wasn't like Lucy at all and, while she felt a little scared of the sheer hate filling her heart and soul at the sight of that monster, she couldn't bring herself to really care.

"I'll end up killing him if I do join in directly," simply stated the girl, moving next to Wendy. "I'll lend support."

Following her words, she used her telekinesis make the man levitate. His half-second of surprise was enough for Cobra to break through his defenses, and hit him square in the chest. The Doctor spat blood, collapsing on the floor, but not backing down. He grabbed something in his white lab coat and threw it at the Dragon Slayer, who avoided it without much efforts.

Next thing Cobra knew, though, something pierced the skin of his neck and went deep, way too deep. Hissing in pain, he pulled it out, only to realize it was a needle that was now half-empty.

He swayed on his feet, but stood his ground.

"Impossible," growled Shawn, backing against the wall. "That dose should have been enough to kill you!"

 _"Poison_ Dragon Slayer," simply answered Cobra.

His vision doubled for an instant, making him curse silently. While he was immunized against poisons, the drug that that psycho had put in his system was some crazy strong chemical. Had it been anyone else, he had no doubt they would have died of an overdose on the spot.

Loke took over, noticing how Cobra wasn't able to move. While the Spirit fought, the purple-eyed man backed away, joining the girls, muttering numerous curses under his breath.

"Are you alright?" Lucy couldn't help but ask, hand clenching and unclenching on the handle of her whip.

"Bastard's drug is some really nasty shit," he simply gritted out.

"How much time before you can get rid of its effects?" simply inquired Kaelys.

He shot a quick look at Lucy, was intently listening. He wasn't very keen on letting the girl –hell, anyone, really- know about his weaknesses, but he could only find curiosity and even some worry in her soul.

Worry for what, he couldn't tell, though.

"Ten minutes or so," he finally gave in.

"Too long," instantly replied the teen next to them, before turning to Lucy. "Can you call over Bootes?"

Understanding dawn on the blonde, before she bit her lower lip and looked away, shame evident on her features.

"I'm not strong enough to call two Spirits at once," she answered. "And Loke's taking a lot already-"

"Objectively speaking, you have the magical capacities to call out a gold key and a silver key without much trouble. Three silver keys are also a possibility, and you could also call out two golden keys together with a stretch. You can easily call out Bootes while keeping Loke's door open," retorted the black-haired girl.

Lucy gaped for a few seconds, before her resolve hardened in her eyes. Grabbing the key, she brandished it before her.

"Open, Gate of the Plowman, Bootes!"

There was a flash of white light, before the Spirit appeared. His eyes were as sharp as aver, but a certain light had returned to them.

"Hello, Miss Lucy. How may I be of assistance?"

"Cobra here is the Poison Dragon Slayer," quickly introduced the Celestial Mage, gesturing to said man. "He's gotten drugged, though. Could one of your creations give him a boost of energy so that he can get rid of it quicker?"

"Of course," he agreed, before turning to the gob smacked criminal. "What would your preferences be, Mister Cobra?"

"… cyanide?" how was he even supposed to answer that?

"Right away."

Some sort of urn appeared in the Spirit's hands. Opening it, he then offered it to the maroon-haired mage, who almost dropped it seeing how hard his hands were shaking due to the drug.

"Cyanide, as per requested. Do enjoy your drink, Mister Cobra."

"… right."

He shot a look at Kaelys, but she still hadn't reverted to her usual persona and was observing everyone and everything with the eyes of an hawk. Shrugging, he grabbed the urn and downed it in one go. Instantly, he felt his depleted Magic restore itself as the effects of the drug died down until none was left, in barely ten seconds. His eyes widened as he gave back the now empty urn without much of a thought, and he gave the Celestial Mage a somewhat impressed look.

"Even Angel couldn't summon two spirits at once," he remarked off-handedly. "And damn, it sure would have been easier if she had had _that_ Spirit from the start. Damn, that hit the spot just right…"

"Thank you, Bootes," Lucy beamed at her Spirit. "Would you mind hanging around for a while longer? Or at least, until your hour is up?"

"Of course, Miss Lucy."

 _Well, that's new. Angel really wouldn't have cared less about those Spirits, yet that weirdo is treating them… as equal?_

 _…_

 _Nan._

"Hey, blondie," she blinked his way in acknowledgement. "Can you really use that whip of yours or is it just for show?"

She puffed her cheeks a little at that, somewhat insulted, and cracked it loudly for only answer.

He grinned.

"Good. Keep that psycho still for a few seconds," he ordered.

"Understood. Loke!"

"I know!"

The Leader of the Zodiac backed away and returned to her side. Kaelys narrowed her eyes, stepping forward and quickly forming a plan around Cobra's.

"Wendy, Happy, Carla, you will have to distract him," she ordered. "I'll use my telekinesis to keep immobilize him as soon as he's no longer paying attention. Lucy, Loke, there's no doubt he'll try to escape through one of his Black Holes, so you'll have to hold on tight. As soon as we got him, Cobra will give him a taste of his own medicine. Everyone's ready?"

"W-wait," paled Wendy. "I-I don't know h-how to distract him, I-"

"You can do a Roar, can you not?" retorted Kaelys, raising an eyebrow.

"I-I don't r-remember how…"

The black-haired girl kneeled so that they could be eye to eye. The blue-haired girl looked away in shame, and was surprised when the teen gently ruffled her hair.

"You can do it. If you couldn't I wouldn't be asking," simply said the purple-eyed Mage. "So, ready to kick his ass?"

The smaller girl was still hesitant, but also knew that it was _Kaelys_ who just said that. The ridiculously strong Mage, who could have ended this whole thing in the span of a second had she tried to kill the man, the one person who never lied and who, more than probably, never would.

So, hardening her resolve, she clenched her fists and took a deep breath.

"Hai!"

Kaelys's expressionless features softened at that, and she got back on her feet. Then, in a single movement, they all turned around to face the Doctor. He was crouched on the floor in the very back of the room, panting and baring his teeth at them, obviously a little out of it. His survival instincts had taken over, and barely any human consciousness was left.

"Let's go."

Wendy darted forward without really thinking, the two cats flying besides her.

 _I'm doing this for my friends… I'm doing this to help… and if Kaelys believes I can do it… then I will!_

"Roar of the Sky Dragon!"

She somehow managed to expel the attack, but instantly knew she would only be able to do it once. Drained of more than half of her Magic, she stumbled on the floor as the spell hit its mark. Happy had been distracting the man, hence why he hadn't open one of his Black Holes in time. Carla grabbed her and flew the both of them away, the blue cat just behind them.

A pained scream echoed sinisterly behind as they landed near the group. Kaelys had used the shock of the monster to her advantage, making his bones break from the inside. A gurgle of pain and curses were spat out of his mouth as he collapsed.

"This ain't over," his single eye was rolling in its orbit. "This ain't over! I'll come back and I'll kill you all! I'll heal you and I'll kill you! Bwahahah- uh?"

He stared dumbly at the whip now tightly trapping him. Understanding dawning on him, he instantly opened a Black Hole under himself to try and escaped. However, he didn't go very far: both Lucy and Loke pulling, he found himself unable to disappear in time to avoid Cobra's hit.

The Poison Dragon Slayer practically stabbed him in the neck with the very needle the psycho had used earlier on him. However, it was now full of a very special concoction, graciously offered by Bootes.

"No… what have you done…" Shawn started shaking violently, his Black Holes flickering before fully disappearing. "No… this ain't over…"

Without another word, he slumped to the floor, no longer able to move. Kaelys loomed over his now paralyzed form for a moment, staring blankly.

"It is," her voice trembled, and she fell to her knees, unable to take any more of all those emotions. "We win."

Taking a deep breath, she then turned her eyes to all the others in the room. They seemed exhausted, a scratch here and there, but nothing really bad.

There was an explosion outside of the room. Surprised, they turned to the few screens still intact on the wall, only to see that Natsu, Gray and Erza had managed to destroy the machine.

In the blink of an eye, the older Kaelys vanished, leaving place to her usual persona.

 _'_ _It's over'_

 **'** **About fucking time. Can we go back home, now? This was tiring as hell'**

"… home?"

An hand fell on her head, and she raised her eyes to meet Cobra's, who half-smiled.

"Let's go," he simply said.

* * *

 **Hey, so they're done with the Doctor! So, first thing first: Shawn let them go to Kaelys in hopes that she would either kill them herself, or it would completely break her and thus make his job easier. He had a Plan B, of course, which consisted of him killing all of her friends and thus destroying her completely.**

 **If you don't get the concept of the Doctor's magic, feel free to ask! I'll try to clarify everything as much as I can. Also, Bootes was _not_ a Spirit in the orignal storyline, if you ever wondered. I just feel like Lucy could have been much, much more, and I'm warning now: this _can/might/will_ be a STRONG LUCY fanfic on the side. Kaelys _is_ still the main character, after all.**

 **Also, for those of you who wonder why or how both Kaelys and Shawn managed to uncover their Magic when in our world... well, I have a rather simple theory: no human uses more than ten percent or so of their brains. However, for someone who has a mental disorder, I believe it is merely because they are actually able to reach more of their mental capacities than normal humans. And, when insanity is mixed with utter despair, obsession or another extremely intense emotion, then those people _can_ gain access to their magical core, and thus their powers.**

 **Anyway, don't hesitate if you have any question, and also: don't worry! How Kaelys reached the other world in the first place will be explained, though not so soon...**

 **Hope you liked it, and I look forward to your reviews!**


	14. To Find Your Strength

**Yay, new chapter! I just want to warn you guys, though: including this one, the next five (maybe six) chapters will ALL be OFF-CANON! Otherwise said, I don't want to just jump from one Arc to the other, so there'll be some growth in between. Everything is set between their return and the Edolas Arc, and you will surely recognize one or two filler episodes, since I'm following the anime.**

 **That's all, enjoy!**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

With the paralyzed Doctor dragged by Cobra, and Kaelys carrying Wendy on her back –she felt bad that the girl had to deplete so much of her Magic-, the little group joined with the other three, who were awaiting them in the room.

Behind them, the machine was in ruins, burnt to a crisp on one side, covered in ice on the other, and sliced right in the middle.

"They really did a number on it, uh…" snorted the black-haired girl.

"That's Team Natsu for you," giggled softly Wendy.

"True."

"Yatta! You guys did it!" cheered Natsu, twirling Happy around.

"It wasn't easy, but we did it!" beamed the blue cat.

"You didn't do anything," accused Carla.

"Waa, so mean!"

Erza went to the Doctor, and crouched next to him with narrowed eyes.

"What happened to him?"

"Paralyzing poison," shrugged the ex-member of Oración Seis. "He's all yours."

She nodded her thanks, Requiping some magical handcuffs she always kept not far from reach in case they ever had to apprehend mages. They were made to suppress one's magic, so he wouldn't be able to escape.

"I'm glad everything's over," sighed heavily Lucy, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. "Though, how are we supposed to go back?"

"We can't trust that guy not to send us in another dimension if we try to use his Black Holes," Gray jabbed a thumb Shawn's way. "Hey, Kaelys? How did you end up in Fiore anyway?"

"… I don't know," she admitted sheepishly. "I never really cared about it, to be honest. I was more focused on the 'getting away' part."

 _'Well, how did those guys came here?'_

 **'They said they used his Black Hole, weren't you listening?'**

 _'But he wasn't in Fiore anymore when they came here, right?'_

"How did _you_ come here?" asked Kaelys.

"I told you, we used his Black Hole," Gray rolled his eyes, pulling out a small card from his pocket. "It's-"

"Perfect!"

She grabbed it before he could react, and examined it. It was smooth, with only a name –surely the Doctor's- on it.

"You activated it with your Magic, right? There's still some in it," she informed. "Brain showed those kind of cards to me once, when I was still looking for my Second Magic. If you pull back your Magic, you should be able to reverse the spell that brought all of you here."

"How convenient," grunted Cobra with a roll of his eyes.

Kaelys's glare made him shut up quickly.

"Will it be enough to bring back everyone, though?" wondered Erza, frowning a little. "We would be using it for two more people."

"No idea, though it's the only shot we have," pointed out the teen.

"But why don't you steal his Magic?" then wondered Natsu, confused. "Ya know, with your magic book or something?"

Everyone could only gape at the boy, not having expected that kind of idea from him. After all, he wasn't usually one who went with the 'smart' option.

"It wouldn't work," the black-haired teen however shook her head. "He was careful to drain me of my Magic as much as possible, and kept me in a… weakened state. I wouldn't be able to copy his Magic _and_ be able to use it afterwards. And… I don't want anything to do with this man. I know it's selfish of me to ask, but stealing his Magic would feel like tainting mine. He already took a lot from me, and I don't want to loose this too."

"Of course," Lucy hugged her at that.

"Plus," the girl hugged back, before scratching the back of her head, suddenly sheepish. "I can't remember his name to save my life."

They all kind of sweatdropped at that, but let it go nonetheless.

"B-but what if we end up in the wrong world?" Wendy then remarked, worried.

"Anywhere's better than here," simply answered Kaelys. "So, ready to go?"

"Just one thing," Lucy stepped in, letting her go to place her hands on her hips. "I don't think we should leave this place like this. For all we know, someone might stumble upon it and use the Doctor's research for their own evil deeds."

"Ooh, I like that idea, blondie," grinned evilly Cobra, hearing her. "I'm all for it!"

"Why can't I find it surprising?" the blonde sweatdropped once more.

He barked out a laugh at that, and Kaelys smiled slightly. Of all the people, she wasn't expecting Cobra to warm up to Lucy first. Then again, though, it was kind of hard to hate the blonde mage.

"What would be your plan, Lucy?" inquired Erza.

Everyone gulped a little when Evil Lucy made an appearance.

"Burn the whole fucking place down, of course."

 **'Knew there was a reason I liked her'**

 _'Fucking pyromaniac'_

 **'Am not!'**

* * *

Kaelys could only stare as majestic flames engulfed the asylum, unsure of what to do, say, or even feel. She could only watch as the fire burned everything to the ground, as if cleansing the wound that laid on this land.

It had been her prison for two whole years. It had been the source of each and every of her nightmare. The sheer thought of it made her skin crawl and pushed her instincts to scream for help. She couldn't close her eyes without seeing the white walls of her cell, or feeling the tight straps biting the skin of her wrists, or smelling the heavy scent of antiseptics…

For more than a year, she had been running away, scared that they'd somehow manage to take her back. She had been petrified, wasted her nights and days away as she trained and broke sweat and bones and-

Over. It was over, just like that.

She didn't really think about it until now, but what was she supposed to do _now?_ Her sole purpose in life was to be free and to _never_ be caught again by those monsters. However, now that they were all gone, what was left for her to do? Simply living was well and all, but she no longer had any reason to grow stronger.

 **'What nonsense are you spouting now? Of course you've got to get stronger!'**

"What do you mean?"

 _'You have yet to uncover your full magical potential. It'd be a waste to forget about it, don't you think?'_

 **'Plus, now that you're part of the stupidly cheery Guild, you'll get loads more of enemies –strong ones-. You swore not to kill? Alright. But you'll have to work on it, then, 'cause I don't see you not killing people with the state of your powers right now'**

"They're strong-"

 _'But you can't control them yet. Being strong isn't about knowing spells or Magics or attacks: it's about being able to use them. Haven't we heard that before?'_

"Heard what?"

 **'Do not fear the man who learned a thousand attacks once. Fear the man who practiced a single attack a thousand times. Or something like that'**

The ground shook as the asylum finally broke down to the ground in a mix of smoke, heat and rubbles. The teen could only watch as her greatest enemy burned and burned, until nothing but bad memories remained.

"You worry too much, Loudmouth," muttered Cobra next to her. "You want a new purpose? Then become stronger, this time not for yourself, but for them."

"Them?" she blinked in surprise.

He nodded towards the rest of the group, who was watching the flames devouring what was left of the hellish mental hospital. Natsu was cheering and twirling Lucy, Wendy and Happy around. Erza and Gray had small smiles, and even the stick up Carla's ass seemed to have loosened up a little.

He then gestured to her collarbone, where he guildmark was proudly displayed.

"They're your family, right?" he added, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Then become stronger, so you can protect them."

"To protect… them…?"

She looked down at her hands in wonder. Could she really do it? The burden of her past had vanished in flames, was she ready to take up a new one; this time of her future?

 **'I think the answer's pretty obvious'**

 _'They won't abandon you anytime soon, and that Doctor will have what he deserves. You're going back home, and you can only move ahead with nothing holding you back. I think it's time to make the first step forward'_

"… the first step?"

She looked once more to the Fairy Tail mages, before beaming at Cobra.

"It's your family too now, you know?" she smiled.

"Tche, as if," he instantly scoffed, averting his gaze.

Kaelys simply shrugged, still smiling. She knew that, with Fairy Tail around, things were bound to change –not only for her, but for Cobra too, and for everyone-.

"I'm ready," her announcement drew the attention of the others. "Let's get out of here. I'm sure everyone's worried about you all-"

"Us."

The black-haired girl blinked in confusion at Gray's interruption. He grinned, ruffling her hair.

"They're worried about _us."_

" _All_ of us," couldn't help but add Lucy, looking over at Cobra.

He rolled his eyes, but said nothing more, and the whole group finally gathered together as the Ice Make mage pulled out the card.

"Ready?" he asked.

Without waiting for an answer, he pulled his Magic from the card. Instantly, a Black Hole opened under their feet and sucked them in. And, just as quickly as they arrived in the new worlds, they returned to their own.

* * *

.

.

They dropped in the middle of the Guild, falling on top of each other. They crashed onto a table, which broke down under the sudden weight, and the noise instantly drew the attention of the rest of the Guild, who could only gape at their reappearance.

"Gray, you bastard! Get off of me!"

"Then stop touching my crotch, fire-breath!"

"It's not me!"

"Sorry."

"What the hell Erza!?"

"Shut up or I'll kill all of you."

"Kae, you okay?"

"Kind of… Wendy?"

"H-hai…"

"THEY'RE BACK!"

Snapping out of their primary shock, their guildmates then ran to them to pull them back on their feet. After a few more seconds of intense confusion, the rescue team and the rescued girl finally managed to untangle themselves and face everyone.

"My children, I am glad to see you have returned safely," sighed Makarov, though smiling warmly. "Kaelys?"

"H-hai?"

"Welcome home."

She opened her mouth to answer, then closed it, unsure of what to reply. After all, while she may have come to consider the Guild as such, it didn't mean the rest of her guildmates were willing to share it with her, or so she remembered. After all, saved for Team Natsu, Gajeel, Mirajane, the Master and kind of Shadow Gear, no one really could stand her.

Sensing her trouble as she watched carefully the reactions of their peers, the Master sighed and jumped onto the nearest table.

"Kaelys, none of us can apologize enough for how Fairy Tail treated you," he then announced, bringing some seriousness over everyone. "We in Fairy Tail are family, yet we never truly welcomed you as such. However, I do hope you will be able to forgive us and give us a second chance."

And with that, he bowed. There was a moment of silence, until each and every member of the Guild bowed too, saved for the rescue team and Gajeel –cause let's be honest, he'd never do that-.

After another half-second of hesitation, the young girl went to the still bowing old man and patted his head.

"I think that's how Gray did it back then, though I think it'd work better if the old guy had some hair…" she mumbled, hoping she wasn't confusing everything.

"H-hair…?" echoed the Master, a cloud of gloom surrounding him suddenly.

"That basically means she's forgiven you, Gramps," however laughed the Ice Make mage, obviously finding it hilarious. "You're getting the hang of it, Kae."

"Really?" she beamed at him.

He was surprised for a second at her reaction. He hadn't really expected her to forgive him –she did say she did when they were back in the cell, but he thought she had been joking at the time-, but he must have guessed wrong.

"Damn, how could you guys change her that much in barely a week?" Cobra sweatdropped, seeming a little sickened by this family-thingy-crap.

"We haven't change her," however answered Lucy, watching the teen with a small smile. "That was her. That's always been her, you just never saw it. She grew according to what you guys in Oración Seis showed and taught her. Now, she's growing according to Fairy Tail. She's still very young, and that's why she's still learning. There'll be loads of mistakes on the way, but I'm sure she can do it. You can too, Cobra."

"… Oookay, I think that's enough of this rainbow-shitting-unicorn-crap," he backed away from the blonde, slightly creeped out. "Don't hang around too much, Sunshine. I might catch whatever _you_ have."

"What? What do you mean?" she pouted, glancing away. "I-"

She stopped, surprised, and couldn't help but laugh. She slapped an hand to muffle it, though it wasn't really subtle. Curious, he turned around to see what was happening, and snorted at the sight.

Kaelys was going around, meeting each and every mage of the Guild. They exchanged a few words, mostly them apologizing, before the mage bowed, and Kaelys then patted them on the head. The gesture was awkward, but the girl seemed genuinely happy right there and then.

 _I guess what Sunshine said kind of makes sense… Loudmouth always adapted easily to most situations, so its no wonder she accepted Fairy Tail so quickly. But still, for them to accept her too…_

Cobra really, truly wasn't one for that family bullshit. However, he couldn't deny nor ignore the honesty in everyone's feelings: they all truly loved their Guild and considered all of those inside nakamas.

He didn't know how to feel about that.

"A-ano… Cobra-san?"

Slowly, very slowly, he turned around to see a green-haired woman and a man with dark, almost black hair and a poncho.

They both bowed, making him stiffen.

"Welcome to Fairy Tail!" they chorused.

 _Oh_ hell _no. There's only so much happy-dopey attitude I can take at once._

So, grunting somewhat of an acknowledgement, he was quick to hide in the deepest corner of the Guild. The table was already occupied by the Iron Dragon Slayer, but the purple-eyed man knew he shouldn't have too much trouble with that guy.

"Tell me it's not like this every day," he instantly asked, slouching in the seat in front of him.

"Welcome to hell, buddy," simply shrugged the red-eyed mage, gulping down his beer in one go.

"Damn it."

"Gihihi!"

* * *

Obviously, the Guild had thrown a party. After all, not only had they successfully destroyed the Dragonoid barely a day earlier, but Kaelys was also back safe and sound, and the psycho was trapped under tons of runes and spells of all kinds, graciously offered by Levy and Freed.

It was also a welcome party for Kaelys, Cobra, and Cubellios. The snake had been more than happy to rejoice with the two former criminals, and the black-haired teen hadn't hold back on the cuddles.

Soon enough, everything kind of went downhill, though. Fairy Tail being Fairy Tail, what party didn't have booze and fights? The usual bickering between Natsu and Gray soon enough got to the whole Guild, who started destroying everything as per usual.

Needless to say, Cobra had enjoyed seeing the pink-haired boy pummeled by the red-haired crazy knight.

"Kaelys?"

She hummed, glancing at Lucy. The teen hadn't joined the fight, still hanging to her promise, but she still enjoyed watching it –and maybe messing with some of her guildmates. Provoking them was so easy!-.

"We should go home," she proposed. "It's getting late, and I'm afraid Loke won't let us off the hook for training tomorrow."

"Ooh, right," agreed the younger girl, jumping from the counter on which she was sitting.

"Going already?" Mirajane smiled at the both of them, ignoring the chair that almost hit her in the head. "Have a nice night, then."

"Bye bye, Mira! See you tomorrow!" Kaelys waved, before heading away with Lucy.

As soon as they stepped outside, though, they found Cobra waiting for them, Cubellios now in a smaller form and hanging around his neck and shoulders.

"Cobra? Cub? What are you doing?" blinked Kaelys, curious.

"We're apparently living with you from now on."

…

…

…

"WHAT!?"

* * *

"So, let me get this straight: the Magic Council ordered for you to live with us –real meaning: me- because I can apparently 'control' the members well –why is there an 's' damn it!?- of Oración Seis?" Lucy resumed, eye twitching.

"Yup."

"B-but this is crazy!" she protested. "It's not like I'm _controlling_ anyone! And you could kill me in the span of a fricking second! Why would they believe I'm strong enough to, and I quote, 'contain' you!?"

"That's the point, though," he grunted, lying down on the couch. "They don't expect you to do anything. They're convinced you'll fail and if you do, then it means that not only we're going back to jail, but Fairy Tail can be disbanded. They _expect_ you to fail that task, and the other members that join will probably have the same contract as Loudmouth and I."

She let out a groan, collapsing on a chair. Kaelys simply shrugged.

"Well, it's not like anything's going to happen anyway," she then remarked. "Cobra, Cub and I are part of Fairy Tail now, so we're not going anywhere."

"I ain't doing it for you," huffed the Poison Dragon Slayer. "But if I can do something to piss those old geezers off, then why the hell not?"

"But I _know_ you're not going to betray us!" however whined the blonde, on the verge of pulling out her hair. "But what am I supposed to do about the space? The food? Everything!? We'll need to find somewhere to place a bed for you, and one for Cubellios –wait, does she have her own bed? Or do you share?- oh and what do you even eat? Am I supposed to feed you poison, or normal food? I don't know…"

"I'm not a damn dog, you know," Cobra didn't know whether to be amused or insulted.

But she wasn't even listening anymore, lost in her own world. Curious, he tried to listen to her soul, but instantly backed out. Everything was happening too fast, and it was giving him a headache.

"Is she _always_ like that?" he sincerely hoped not.

"You get used to it."

"Ugh, thought you'd say that."

* * *

Kaelys wasn't waking up. Lucy hadn't truly started worrying until after eight –at that time, the teen was always awake-, and had gone to check on the girl, only to realize that she was simply sleeping. She truly seemed tired, hugging Plue and Cubellios tightly, so the Celestial Mage had decided to let her sleep in a little.

"A little" soon turned out to be the whole day. She however calmed down a bit when Cobra off-handedly informed her that the black-haired girl was exhausted, both physically and mentally. After all, she hadn't eaten while in the Doctor's claws, her Magic had been forcefully drained and compressed, and simply going back there had been enough of a shock. And then, they all fought, came back, and had monstrous party.

Truly, it was a wonder that the teen hadn't lost consciousness even earlier.

There had been no training that day. Loke came to check up on them and nearly had a heart attack when he learned about their new roommates, so Lucy had to force his Gate closed to avoid trouble.

After what, they entered the waiting game. They couldn't do much else, after all.

* * *

.

.

When Kaelys finally opened her eyes, it was the middle of the next day. Rubbing her eyes to get rid of what was left of her sleepiness, she then took a long look around. Plue and Cubellios no longer were in her arms, and Lucy and Cobra didn't seem to be there either.

"Oh, finally woke up?" she snapped her eyes at the intruder, startled and ready to defend herself.

The girl calmed down when the one who had spoken raised his hands in the air and stepped in the light, revealing himself to be none other than the Ice Make Mage.

"Gray," she greeted, fully relaxing as he sat down in front of her. "What are you doing here?"

"Lucy had to go out to buy some things since Cobra's going to live here now," he made a face at that, though said nothing about it. "They asked us to keep on eye on you, in case you'd wake up while they were gone."

"Us?"

At the same moment, Erza stepped in sight and offered a small smile to the black-haired teen.

"I'm glad to see you have woken up," she stated. "We were starting to worry."

"Sorry," she instantly apologized, looking down.

"Don't be," the redhead simply ruffled her hair. "Everyone has their limits, you simply went passed yours. It happens to the best of us."

"Right-"

"Lyshhhh!"

A weight slammed in her chest, and it took her a second to understand it was actually Happy, who was now hugging her.

"Happy?"

"I thought you were going to die~" he wailed.

As the somewhat confused Thief Mage reassured him, Natsu joined the little group, still munching on some meat. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it tight when Erza glared his way. Swallowing hard, which earned an approving nod from the red-haired woman, he then offered a toothy grin to the teen.

"About time you woke up!" he exclaimed. "Hey, how about we go on a mission?"

"Oi, Flame-brain, Lucy isn't home yet, and Kaelys is still tired," pointed out Gray, arms crossed behind his head. "A mission might not be the best idea at the moment."

"Gray is right, Natsu," the Knight intervened before a fight could break out.

"But I wanna go on a mission with Lys…" he whined. "Plus, Lucy's going to be gone for the rest of the day! And we haven't taken a mission in a while either!"

They all sweatdropped at that. Missions hadn't exactly been a priority, what with the Dragonoid incident and then Kaelys's rescue.

"… I wouldn't mind a mission," then teen's statement then caught their attention. "I mean, I'd rather go with Lucy, but I don't want to get in her way all the time either, and I still need to learn a lot too, and we haven't really hung out together even though I'm technically part of the team, and-"

As she rambled, Erza and Gray shared a look. They knew the girl was trying her hardest to fit in, so they too had to give their all to help her out. Lucy had always been the one supporting her until now, but it was time they did their part too. After all, as she said earlier, Kaelys was also a member of Team Natsu.

"Very well, I shall go to the Guild and pick a mission," finally agreed Erza. "I'll ask Mira to inform Lucy that we'll be gone for a day or two. However, Kaelys… are you certain you will be alright without Lucy around? We can still wait for her before going."

"What? No way-"

Gray punched the pink-haired boy before he could finish, and they instantly started fighting. Ignoring the idiots, Erza kneeled next to the teen as she looked down.

"I don't know," the girl then admitted in a low tone, slightly clenching her fists. "But I can't… just get in her way every day. Lucy-nee's already done a lot for me, and I don't want her to feel like she's obligated to do so."

"Lucy is doing this because she wants to," instantly assured the Requiping Mage. "It's in her nature to help others. If you ever tell her this, I'm sure she'll say the same."

"… I guess," the purple-eyed mage relented. "Still, doing a mission with other people might be a good idea. I don't want to become dependent of her either."

"Then we'll do it. However, do not hesitate to inform us if you ever feel uncomfortable, or if you have any doubts," answered gently the woman.

"I will. Erza?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

At that, the redhead offered her a smile.

"You're welcome"

* * *

"Mission, mission, we're going on a mission~"

As Natsu and Happy sang while going ahead, Kaelys took the time to look around, tensed. Her muscles were tight, ready to spring into action, and her heart was beating at an irregular pace.

 _'You've really got to calm down'_

 **'Yeah, weren't you the one saying you trusted them?'**

"I do!" she hissed quietly. "But I can't help it! We're walking right out in the open, with no plan whatsoever, and Lucy isn't there. How am I supposed to calm down?"

 **'Gosh, you really needed that time away from blondie if you can't even feel safe when she's not around'**

The teen knew there wasn't anything to be scared of. She would never return to her personal hellhole again, the insane Doctor was behind bars in the Magic Council's prison, and she had no personal enemy that she knew of, yet…

"Hey, you okay?"

She blinked, tilting her head to meet Gray's eyes. He had his hands shoved in the pockets of his coat, for once fully clothed, and he seemed genuinely concerned.

 **'Still don't like him'**

 _'I think it's sweet'_

"I'm not used to Lucy not being with me," she simply admitted with a shrug. "And walking with our backs open isn't exactly making me at ease."

"You're really paranoid, aren't ya?" he sweatdropped. "Though I guess no one can really blame you for it… but you trust us, don't you?"

"Of course," there wasn't a single trace of hesitation in her voice.

"Then lean on us too," he answered. "Lucy's the one who caught your fall, but it's Fairy Tail… _us,_ that are going to pull you up. You just have to hang on, alright?"

"… alright," she smiled a little at that. "Thank you."

"No trouble."

"Gray, by the way…"

"What is it?"

"Your shirt's gone."

"Damn it!"

* * *

When they arrived to the village, Erza handed a Lacrima to her, and the teen gratefully accepted the gift. The three older mages then left the room as she instantly called Lucy.

The blonde answered before the first ring could finish.

 **"Kae!"** Relief was obvious in her tone. **"I was so worried… is everything alright out there? Do you need anything? Want me to come over?"**

 **"For hell's sake, Sunshine,"** groaned Cobra, apparently not that far. **"Would you pipe down? You sound like an overprotective mother, it's annoying."**

 **"And you're an asshole, yet do you see me complaining?"** she huffed.

 **"All the time, actually."**

 **"Urgh!"**

Kaelys couldn't stop the grin from gracing her lips at their banter. It would seem they were getting along after all, something she had been worrying about too. It was another weight of her chest.

"I'm doing fine," she then answered, gaining back Lucy's attention. "We'll be taking the mission tomorrow morning, so we should be back home in the middle of the afternoon. Don't worry about me."

 **"Loudmouth, with all the shit you keep getting into _and_ that destructing team of yours, there's no way Sunshine can't worry," **scoffed the Poison Dragon Slayer.

"Jerk." Kaelys clicked her tongue. "I can take care of myself."

 **"Cobra, stop antagonizing her,"** intervened Lucy with a sigh. **"Anyhow, don't hesitate to give a call if you ever need me, alright?"**

"I will. See ya tomorrow, Lucy-nee, bastard."

 **"Goodnight, Kae."**

 **"Later, brat."**

With that, the call ended. Letting out a small sigh, Kaelys then fell on the bed, on her back, and stared at the ceiling. Talking to Lucy, and even Cobra, had helped ease her mind a little.

"We're back!"

The door slammed open, letting enter the others, Natsu in lead. They were all carrying food trays, and Happy instantly sat next to her, giving her a fish.

"Here! I'll share my fish with you, Lys!" he beamed at her.

"Thanks, Happy," she petted his head, taking it.

It wasn't a real fish, she obviously couldn't eat one raw. It seemed like some sort of gigantic biscuit in the form of a fish, though. Curious, she was about to test it when her muscles froze by themselves, the treat barely centimeters from her open mouth.

 **'You forgot to check it! What if there were drugs inside!?'**

Biting her lower lip, she glanced at Happy, who was staring at her and obviously waiting to see if she liked it.

"He'd never do that," she mumbled under her breath. "I trust them, remember?"

And with that, she took a bite. Her eyes widened at the taste.

"It's delicious!"

"Isn't it?" grinned the blue cat.

 **'I can't believe you just did that. How more reckless can you get!?'**

 _'If they wanted to harm her, they would have done so long ago. Why can't you back off a little and give them a fricking chance?'_

 **'Oi, I'm trying to! It just isn't as easy as it sounds'**

"Don't I know it…"

"Waa, Lys's talking crazy again!"

"I'm not crazy!"

For once, though, the words didn't hurt. It was as if they bounced on her heart without breaking it. The voices fell quiet at that realization: Kaelys had taken it as a joke, as it was meant to be, and had even answered in the same tone.

 _'… they're really changing her, aren't they?'_

 **'… Aa'**

Ignoring them, Kaelys kept on eating, enjoying her dinner.

* * *

The boys sleeping in one room and the girls sleeping in the other –they were offered by the mayor, so all was good-, Kaelys however found herself having a hard time to go to sleep, or even close her eyes.

She hadn't thought about it, only now realizing she was alone.

"Can't sleep?"

Erza's voice caught her attention, and she turned her head the redhead's way. She was sitting on her own bed, a blanket draped around her shoulders.

"Nightmares," the teen simply answered.

"Come here."

After a moment of hesitation, Kaelys jumped from her bed and went to sit next to the woman. Instantly, the blanket was draped around her and, unable to stop herself, the girl leaned in the older mage's warmth.

"I used to be a slave," Erza's voice was low, yet echoed in the room. "In the Tower of Heaven. Each day was a living nightmare. They made us work until we collapsed from exhaustion, barely ever fed us, and treated us as no more than animals. They didn't hesitate to use violence, either. One of them took my eye."

"Your eye…?"

"Mmm. I made friends while I was trapped there, though. Jellal… the one who helped us on Nirvana, he's the one who gave me my last name. Along with him and a few others, that hell became somewhat more bearable. I don't think I would have lasted like I did if they hadn't been there for me."

The red-haired woman took a deep breath, and brought Kaelys closer to her.

"It's been many years since then, yet I still see everything so vividly… for a long time, I too wasn't able to sleep alone. I always feared our tormentors would come back for me, that I'd find myself with those chains again, that they'd hurt me and my friends once more, that…" her voice broke a little, and she shook her head. "I have gotten over it now, even though nightmares will always come to trouble me once in a while."

"… like tonight?"

"Like tonight," confirmed softly the Knight.

They fell silent for a moment, their slow breathing being the only sound one could hear.

"My mother left me in the asylum when I was eleven," the black-haired girl could still remember the sharp pain of the betrayal, even though she couldn't care less about the woman now. "Said it was to help me, heal me. At first, it wasn't so bad. I felt alone –I'm not crazy, you know?- but other than that, I wasn't bothered by anyone. One time, though… I snapped. I broke the window and cut my wrists open. It just felt right at the moment. I wasn't trying to die, I just didn't want to end up hurting people…"

 **'And yet see how that turned out?'**

 _'Shhh, let her continue!'_

"They didn't get it, though. None of them did," her tone became harsher, and a bitter laugh escaped her. "Thought the only way to _help me_ was by destroying me and building me back again. So, they started the electroconvulsive therapy."

"… what is that?"

The teen was agreeably surprised to notice that there was no pity in her tone, merely resigned and maybe bitter understanding.

"They tied me to a chair and electrocuted me." She could still feel the shocks going in her system, burning her nerves and marking her skin, and _it hurts it hurts it hurts-_ "That's where some of the scars come from. And when I wasn't on the chair, then I was in my room, attached to the bed by leather bindings and under the effect of tons of drugs. I was utterly helpless, _weak_ , for two whole years. And, when I escaped, I promised myself I'd never be that way again and that I'd be strong enough to be free."

"Strength is all well and good… but weakness is not a sin," answered Erza, and it was only then that the teen realized the woman was slowly falling asleep. "It is what makes us humans… and makes us stronger…"

"Erza? Can I… can I sleep with you tonight?"

"Of course."

Taking a slow, deep breath, Kaelys allowed herself to relax fully in the warmth of the older mage and, with no more hesitation lingering in her heart, let herself succumb to sleep.

* * *

The next morning, when Kaelys woke up, she felt fully rested and ready to take on the mission. After passing the day without Lucy, she had gotten used to it and now felt more at ease with her absence.

 **'I'd still prefer if we could go back. Now that you can't kill anyone, it'll be harder to accomplish the mission. It's another group of bandits, for fuck's sake!'**

 _'Oh, shush. I'm sure she'll manage. Plus, the others do it all the time, and their powers must be even harder than hers to control. If they can do it, then she can too'_

 **'Still…'**

Kaelys tuned them out, finishing her breakfast. She didn't eat much, never had, and seeing Natsu stuff himself full had somewhat destroyed what was left of her appetite.

After what, they headed in the mountain not that far from the village, where the bandits were said to be. Apparently, the group had started attacking those who tried to cross the mountain, which was a shortcut towards one of the many port cities of Fiore. It was also the way by which most merchants came. However, since the threat of the bandits appeared, the merchants became rarer, and it was starting to take its toll on Hanasuke.

The group started climbing. Kaelys was on edge once more, but more because she actually knew there were enemies around rather than her usual paranoia.

 _'Something's coming!'_

"Watch out!"

The arrow stopped, a meter or so between the sharp end and Natsu's face –which had been its target. The boy gulped slightly as Kaelys dropped the projectile to the ground, narrowing her eyes at the road ahead from where the arrow had come from.

"We're surrounded," noticed calmly Erza, Requiping a sword in her hands. "Are you guys ready?"

"I'm all fired up," Natsu hit his fist against his palm.

"Stop saying that, you sound like an idiot," scoffed Gray, the air already starting to freeze around his hands.

"Guys, stuff it," interrupted Kaelys before they could start another fight amongst themselves. "You can fight all you want _after_ we're done with those guys."

They simply gaped at her, surprised at the intervention. Her tone had change, somewhat. She had actually talked like a teen her age, and spoke without her usual detached or anxious demeanor.

Before any of them could ponder on the sudden change in character, though, the enemy stepped out of the brushes, weapons drawn and eager for a fight.

"A'right boys, get 'em," grinned one who was missing a few teeth. "Though don't hurt da ladies ta much. Musta be able ta cash in some more jewels with those. After dat, we'll have enough stock ta sell, so get ready ta go when we're done here."

"Slavers, uh?" Kaelys instantly tensed, narrowing her eyes.

 _'He mentioned the 'stock', didn't he?'_

 **'Think he's talking about more than the stolen merchandise?'**

 _'Well, the merchants that came with those must be somewhere'_

"I know," the teen muttered. "Erza."

The red-haired woman glanced her way, though never fully taking her eyes off of the enemy, ready to strike back at any given moment.

"I'll go on ahead and find their camp," announced the teen, low enough so that the bandits wouldn't be able to hear her. "If they have other people trapped, then there's nothing to say they won't send some men ahead to go sell them before we're finished with them. We can't risk that."

"Agreed," nodded the Knight, frowning slightly at the thought. "Very well. Can you handle freeing the prisoners, then?"

"Of course," scoffed the teen, rolling her shoulders.

"Do not push yourself," however warned the woman. "If you can't free them without putting yourself in danger, then wait for back-up."

"Roger that."

Offering a somewhat mocking salute, Kaelys then lifted herself from the ground and, ignoring the gaping mouths and the startled gasps, and flew away.

The teen usually wouldn't have proposed herself for a rescue mission. She was a girl of action, she liked to fight and test her strength. What more, those bandits deserved a fate even worse than death, and she would have gladly obliged. However, not only had she swore not to kill again –which already put a damper on her plan of revenge for those who had already been sold by those monsters-, but she couldn't be sure she wouldn't end up harming one of her comrades if she was to use her Thief Magic. After all, she never had to bother with restraints before: she could simply use the spell to its full capacity with no care for the victim of those around.

Now, though…

Plus, she believed in what she told Erza: if they sent some of their men ahead to sell the merchandise in advance, then they wouldn't be able to save those people. And, even though she couldn't care less about some strangers' fates, she couldn't bring herself to ignore them.

When it was _her_ in their position, she kept wishing for someone to come and save her. Despairing to be saved, to be protected. She had learned the hard way that if you wanted to be saved, though, you had to do it yourself. However… maybe she could make things different for those people.

"Though if I'm too late, then it won't do to cry over spilled milk," she mumbled. "Not like I _really_ care of anything."

 **'Yeah, keep telling yourself that'**

"What do you mean?" puzzled, the girl however focused on her surroundings.

She needed to find the camp, after all.

 _'Even if you tell yourself that you don't care, you actually do'_

"Why should I? I never met those people."

 _'You're not as much of a monster as you try to convince yourself. You do feel compassion for others too, even if it isn't in the same way as most people'_

"Monsters don't feel compassion," scoffed the teen, flying closer to the trees to get a better view.

 **'Yet you're the one who thought first about saving those people'**

"Ugh, whatever- I found them!"

Surprised, she didn't waste any time in dropping to the ground to hide behind the trees. There, in a clearing hidden by nature, were loads tents. There were also many guards keeping watch, and she could see the numerous cages in the very middle. Trapped inside were dozens of people: old, young, men, women, children… Most had despair or hopelessness deeply carved in their traits, and it wasn't hard to guess that most suffered from malnourishment.

"I've got to get them out of here," she gritted her teeth.

 _'Don't!'_

"What? Why not?" protested quietly the girl.

 **'Are you blind or just stupid? Your Magic's unstable as hell since even before that incident with the damn Doctor, and there are way too many guards! How do you plan on freeing those people without killing at least one?'**

"I…"

She didn't know, though. At the same moment, footsteps echoed. Instantly Requiping her Book, she used an illusion to mask her presence, and watched as a bandit arrived in the camp, out of breath and wide-eyed.

"B-bad news! Mages showed up, they're kicking our asses! Boss's sending us ahead to get the merchandise out of here," he announced, gulping down some water.

"You heard him boys, let's leave quick!" called another.

As he gestured to the guards and gave some more orders, Kaelys clenched her fists around her Book, the pressure growing. If she didn't do something _now,_ then it'd be too late.

"What can I _do,_ though?" she muttered, deep in thoughts. "I…"

She trailed off, her eyes turning sharper, colder. Instantly, her mind cleared up, and she snapped open her Book.

Without anymore hesitation, she used another illusion. Reflecting the light to create the desired image, she then sent none other than a Wyvern into the camp, instantly plunging it in chaos. As the bandits attacked it and tried to defend their camp, Kaelys darted ahead and instantly headed for the cages. Inside, the people seemed confused as to what was going on, unaffected by her spell.

When they saw her, they all tensed, unsure of what to make of her sudden appearance.

"I am with Fairy Tail, and I was sent here to free you," she announced without any form of emotion. "As soon as I do so, my illusion will disappear and they will realize my presence. When they do, you are to run away as fast as you can. If you go North without stopping, then you'll reach Hanasuke safely."

"A-are you coming with us, Onee-san?" a small boy however ask.

"No," she answered simply. "I will keep the bandits occupied to allow your escape. As soon as the doors open, run. I shall protect your backs. Ready?"

After another moment of hesitation, they started moving. Getting back on their feet, most grabbed their children in their arms, while some pulled the older and injured ones on their back. Seeing them ready, Kaelys took a deep breath. Then, using her telekinesis, she made the locks implode. They fell to the ground as the illusion instantly vanished.

"Now! Run, run, run!" she ordered.

They didn't need to be told twice. As they escaped their cages and started running North without a glance behind, Kaelys spun around to face the very confused bandits.

The one who had run here earlier instantly recognized her.

"She's one of the mages! Get her! And stop those damn slaves!"

"No today, boys!" she practically snarled, instantly sending most of them flying.

One was however sent too far, and his scream echoed as he started falling. Loosing her focus, she instantly pulled him back up and dropped him on the ground. She was barely in time to block a dozen of arrows flying towards the fleeing group, and she gritted her teeth when she had to deflect the deadly projectiles elsewhere than on the men.

"This is getting annoying really fast," she muttered, Requiping her Book away.

She obviously couldn't do it with her Magic. So, instead, she grabbed her scalpel and fell into a defensive position. While she wasn't as strong as Cobra when it came to hand-to-hand combat, she _had_ been taught by one of the bests.

And there were _many_ places she could hit without killing someone, that she knew too well.

"Ya bitch!"

The first idiot attacked, she easily avoided the blade and slashed her own in between the arm and the forearm. He yelped in pain, dropping the sword, and she knocked him out with a harsh kick to the head. As his unconscious form dropped to the ground, she faced the rest, who now seem more wary of her.

"What, where's all your bark now, bitches?" she snapped, twirling her scalpel in her hands.

They growled at the insult, and three others instantly went against her. Blocking the three swords with her telekinesis, she kicked one's legs and punched another in the guts. Failing to escape the third one's fist, pain flared in her jaw and stars danced before her eyes for half-a-second. Angry, she sent her elbow crashing under his chin, before slicing the second one's eyes. A few drops of blood fell on her face as he stumbled away, yelling in pain. She hadn't cut deep enough to fatally injure him, but he'd have some trouble with his eyesight for a while, that was for sure.

The other two collapsed as she knocked their heads together rather violently.

"Who's next?" she spat a red clot on the grass, rubbing her jaw.

"Eh? A Mage who knows how to fight, uh? How fun~"

She narrowed her eyes at the newcomer. This one was different. Long, dirty blond hair, with dark eyes and strange tatoos under his eyes. She could feel his Magic emanating from him in waves, and couldn't help but remember her encounter with the pupeteer a few days before.

"Of fucking course," she huffed, readying herself for the next attack. "They'd have at least one mage, obviously…"

 **'Stop complaining and get to it'**

"Fuck you."

"Umh? Maybe when you're older, sweetheart," the bandit wigled an eyebrow, his lips quirking.

She scrunched her nose at him as the rest laughed. He then grabbed the sword on his back and, without much ceremonials, dropped it to his feet.

"How about a duel? No weapon, fair and square," he grinned toothily.

For only answer, she used her telekinesis to make the bone in his leg snap.

...

...

...

Or at least, tried to.

"Nu-uh, that ain't 'fair and square' honey," tsked the mage, shaking his head. "Such an under-handed attack… quite the snake behind those pretty eyes, aren't you?"

 **'He's somehow nullifying your Magic, though it's not the same as with the Doctor…'**

 _"Return"_

A strangled scream escaped her lips as the bone in her left leg suddenly snapped. She collapsed, writhing in pain as her eyes rolled in their socket, having sudden difficulties to breath, white edging around her vision.

"No luck for you, 'lil lady," taunted the brown-eyed bandit. "My Magic is quite the peculiar one… Absorbing Magic, I mean. You see, I can absorb any attack and use it on its creator. Of course, that means I can't actually _create_ any spell, but oh well! I still get to have some fun, wouldn't you agree?"

"B-bastard…" she clawed the earth under her palms, the pain somewhat calming down yet still vividly present.

She tried to lift herself, but was roughly slammed back into the ground when he quite literally stomped on her, and she gritted her teeth when the tip of his sword pressed against her neck.

 **'For fuck's sake! Had you still been a part of Oración Seis, you'd have gotten rid of those guys _ages_ ago!'**

 _'Don't start that now!'_

 **'You know as well as I do that it's true! Those Fairies made her weak, both in body and in mind!'**

"S-shut up… I'm not weak…" she growled, struggling to get away.

"Against me? Yes, yes you are," chuckled the enemy. "Now, boys, bring me some of the tranquilizer! We don't want the pretty lad to cause us too much trouble on the way home."

She stopped moving at that. He couldn't mean… they were taking her?

Instantly, her Magic started making trouble. Some rocks and trunks exploded, the wind picked up, the nearest fire that was almost extinguished suddenly returned to life, and she started kicking and biting, trying to free herself.

"Don't touch me!" he managed to absorb most of the attacks, though, and she felt something crack when her head hit the ground once again.

"Now, now, be a dear and stop causing such a fuss," sighed the slaver, keeping her in place.

She wanted to kill him. She wanted to kill him _so bad._ And yet, she couldn't bring herself to break her promise to Loke, no matter how much she wanted to, needed to.

Instantly, her Magic died down, as if cut from its source.

"You're right…" she clenched her eyes tightly close. "I truly am… weak…"

 _'Kaelys…'_

"Get your hands off of her!"

The weight of the bandit disappeared as he was suddenly shoved meters away her by a flaming fist. As he crashed a few meters away, Natsu landed between Kaelys and the rest of the group, traits dark.

"Is that the guy who did this to you?" he growled lowly.

"I'm sorry, Natsu…" she let an hand cover her eyes, hoping to stop the bitter tears of defeat from escaping her eyes. "I was… too weak…"

A shuddering breath escaped her, and she bit her lower lip so hard it drew blood.

"Again…"

"You're not weak, Lys."

A strangled sob clawed her throat his words, and he cracked his knuckles.

"You're strong, but everyone has weaknesses," he pursued, earnest. "But you know what? That's what friends are for. They're here to be strong when you can't be, they're here to support you when you can no longer stand on your own. Being strong for yourself is good and all, but being strong for someone else is what'll really make a difference."

Hadn't Cobra said something along those lines? She couldn't remember…

"You did a great job, Lys," he then offered her a grin, showing off his sharper fangs. "We'll take over now, okay?"

"... we?"

At the same moment, ice froze the grass, trees, and a part of the bandit group as Gray waltzed out of the forest; missing his coat and his pants, of course.

"I told you before, didn't I?" the black-haired boy remarked, coming to stand besides them. "We'll have your back anytime."

"You shitty brats…" suddenly growled the enemy mage, slowly regaining consciousness. "I'll- _Urgh!"_

Erza landed a solid hit on his skull, sending him eat some more dirt. She then walked to the rest of the Fairy Tail mages, an hand on her hips as she stood next to them.

"Weakness is not a sin," Erza repeated her words from the night before, Requiping her sword in her hands. "Learn from your mistakes and grow: that is what true strength is about."

With that, she brandished her sword towards the bandits, who gulped yet stood their ground.

"Now stay put. We shall handle the rest, alright?"

"… okay," she clenched her fist, taking a deep, shaky breath. "Okay. Next time around, though… I'll be even stronger! I promise!"

Her cry echoed for a few seconds, and the three mages grinned, before reporting their attention on their opponents. Then, without wasting any more time, they attacked.

Happy sat next to Kaelys, noticing a few tears that had rolled down her cheeks afterwards.

"Are you okay, Lys?" he asked, worried.

"I'm fine," there was a lump in her throat, though the feeling of defeat had left place to a burning determination. "I'm fine. Happy?"

"What?"

"Can I hug you?"

"Sure!"

The cat snuggled in her arms, and she felt her heartbeat slowing down at the warmth. Knowing she was in good hands, she simply closed her eyes, and let herself drift into unconsciousness, too tired to do anything else.

* * *

When the group returned to Hanasuke, the villagers were eagerly awaiting their arrival, along with the rescued group. They were overjoyed when the mages all came back, apparently alive, though the black-haired teen on the Salamander's back seemed in a bad shape.

She was instantly taken away to the village's doctor, Gray going with them. They didn't want Kaelys to freak out when she woke up, after all, and it was Erza's job to collect the reward for the job. She however brought Natsu, not wanting him and the Ice Make Mage to cause a ruckus and destroy everything –again-.

When Kaelys woke up, she groaned heavily.

"I seriously need to stop blacking out," she huffed.

"Well, no one can blame you for being tired, right?" joked Gray.

A small frown however deepen on her face.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I wasn't much use on this mission, and I ended up being a burden for you guys."

He poked her forehead, and she sent him a small glare, rubbing the sore spot.

"Kae, you more than probably saved the lives of all of the people they had taken hostages," he retorted, serious. "Had you not been there, we wouldn't have found their camp in time and all of those people would have been sent only God knows where, never to be seen again. They were able to regain their freedom because you set them free and protected them as they escaped. I'd say you did your fair share for this mission."

She stared for a moment, wondering if he was saying the truth or if he was simply exaggerating things so as to make things easier on her.

There was no lie in his eyes.

 _'Aww, he's such a sweetheart!'_

 **'Still don't like him'**

 _'Hey!'_

 **'… I guess he's an alright fella, though. When he's not trying to kill her, that is'**

"… thanks," she finally allowed a small smile to grace her lips, some peace settling down in her heart. "Though I'm not planning on being beaten so easily next time around. I'll train harder and I'll become much, much stronger! So next time, _I'll_ be the one protecting you guys."

"You do that," he ruffled her hair, a soft smile on his lips. "So, think you can sit up?"

She nodded, doing as asked, but cringed when she tried to move her leg.

"It's a clean break, at least," she snorted, still a little bitter at how the enemy mage had used her own attack against her. "Wendy shouldn't have a hard time healing it, though I won't be able to walk on it until then."

"Hop on, then," he turned his back to her so that she could climb on. "Don't worry about your things, Erza got everything."

For a second, the Thief Mage was surprised at how easily he turned his back to her, without even a second thought. Herself wouldn't be caught turning showing her blind spot to someone so freely.

Then again, he didn't have as much issues as she did.

Using her telekinesis, she lifted herself so that she could settle on his back. Clinging to his neck, though careful not hold on too tight, she snorted when he almost fell over at the sudden weight.

"You're heavier than I imagined," he grunted.

"I _am_ a growing fourteen years old," she snorted. "That or you have no physical strength whatsoever."

"No physical s- I ain't that feeble!" he protested, almost whining.

"Then why are you complaining? Get moving already," she poked his cheek.

He mumbled something under his breath, though started moving nowadays, earning a small giggle from the girl. His step faltered somewhat, surprised at the reaction he had just gotten out of her, before shaking his head and heading outside.

 _I keep forgetting she's just a kid,_ he lightly scolded himself. _Then again, she doesn't make it easy to remember._

 _Still, though…_

She had started mumbling to herself again, though he couldn't really understand what she was saying, and he couldn't stop himself from chuckling.

 _I guess Lucy was right._ Fairy Tail _is was she needs. And... I'd say we're doing a pretty good job so far._

* * *

When they found the others, the villagers were already waving them goodbye. Erza had the money carefully tucked away until they could divide it between themselves back at the Guild, and many of the people Kaelys had freed the day before were present to see them off.

"Excuse me, miss?"

Kaelys looked down from her spot on Gray's back to find a little boy. He seemed familiar, surely one of the people she had rescued before.

"Yes?"

"We wanted to thank you, for saving us," she only then noticed the mother standing behind him. "We got back our merchandise, so if you'd like to take a look… please, take whatever you want!"

They both bowed, and she tensed slightly. What was she supposed to do? Was she allowed to accept the gift? Or was it against the rules? Wait, wouldn't it be impolite to refuse, though? Or was it the contrary?

"She'll take you up on that," the Ice Make Mage answered in her stead, obviously finding her mild panic hilarious. "Kae, do you want to take a look?"

"Well, I guess that if he's saying it's okay…" she reported her attention on the mother. "Err… would you have any Celestial keys by chance?"

"Celestial keys?" repeated the woman, surprised at the request, thoughtful. "I believe we have such items, though I can't remember where we put them…"

"I know where they are!" exclaimed happily the boy. "I'll go get them!"

He ran off before anyone could stop him. Then, in the blink of an eye, he was back. Offering a proud grin at the girl, he showed her two keys: the first one was silver, with wings on the top. The other one, though…

"That one's weird," remarked the Ice Make Mage, echoing her thoughts. "What's up with it?"

"Uh? Oh, it was this way when we acquired it," answered the woman. "I'm not a Mage, though, so I never knew there was something wrong with it-"

"There's nothing wrong with it," Kaelys assured, staring at the smooth, black stone on the tip. "I'll take them both. How much?"

The woman gaped, before chuckling, while the kid made a face, before shoving the two keys in her hand.

"It's a gift, dummy!" he exclaimed. "You can't pay for a gift, right mom?"

"Right," she agreed, amused.

"W-wait, I can't just take them," Kaelys refused. "They must cost a lot, and-"

"Lys, just take them and let's go!" Natsu suddenly called, farther away yet having heard everything.

"But-"

"As they said, it is a gift, is it not?" pointed out Erza, arriving next to them. "Then it would be rude to refuse."

"… alright. Thank you," finally agreed the teen. "It really means a lot to me."

"You saved my life and spared my son the fate of slavery," answered softly the woman, hugging her child. "Nothing will ever be enough to repay you for this. Now, off you go! Surely someone is waiting for you to get home safely too."

At that, Kaelys glanced back at the two keys now lying in her palm, and a soft smile spread on her lips as she closed her fingers on them.

"She is. Alright, guys, let's go! Lucy's waiting for us!"

"Yosh, let's go home!" exclaimed happily Natsu, already going ahead.

"Aye sir!" cheered Happy, following him.

And with that, they left Hanasuke Village.

 _'Well, guess things are getting better, right?'_

 **'They could be worse, I supposed. You'll have to train hard, though'**

"I know. And I will. I promised, didn't I?"

She had always fought to protect her most precious belonging: her freedom. Now, though, something even more precious was in her grasp, and she'd grow even stronger to protect it at all costs. That was what family was for, after all.

* * *

 **Yeah, all hail cheesy moments! Then again, it _is_ Fairy Tail we're talking about, and it _would_ be the kind of things they'd say, right? So anyway, I hope you liked it, and I'm looking forward to your reviews! **

**PS: There IS a reason for Kaelys's powers to be so weird, don't worry about it!**


	15. A Second Chance For Everyone

**So, I won't post another chapter for a few weeks -school, work, Christmas and all that- so here's another chapter! It's a filler, yes, and you won't see much of Kaelys in that one, just so you know.**

 **PS: This chapter starts just after Kaelys left on the mission with the rest of Team Natsu, saved for Lucy.**

 **PPS: Special thanks to The Echo Dragon for pointing out some mistakes/typos in the last chapter! I corrected them, so thanks!**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

When Lucy returned home from a tiring day of shopping with none other than the Poison Dragon Slayer, she half-expected to find her house in ruins. After all, she had left there her... intense, team alone to keep an eye on Kaelys. Who knew what they had destroyed while she was away?

However, when they finally reached home, the house seemed fine. Calm, even.

 _Too_ calm.

"They're not here," then announced Cobra, a slight crease in his brows. "Nor in the vicinity."

"What?"

The blonde darted inside, unceremoniously dropping the bags of food in the hallway, and gasped when she found Kaelys's bed empty.

 _What have they done?_

 _Wait, calm down, Lucy. For all you know, she simply woke up and they went to the Guild._

The Celestial Mage wasn't exactly convinced, though. It would soon be the end of the second week since Kaelys joined them, and not once had the girl went somewhere where Lucy wasn't. She was practically glued to her side.

Well, then again, no one could really blame her: the Guild hadn't exactly been welcoming after the excitement of their arrival died down.

"Let's just go check the Guild and shut up," grunted Cobra, still at the door. "Damn noisy woman…"

She huffed at him, but headed out nowadays, wondering for a second why he was bothering to follow her.

 _It's not like he has to stay with me or anything._

"Believe it or not, but the brat got quite the knack for getting in trouble," he scowled slightly. "Had to save her ass more than once. I'd rather know she's at the Guild with the rest of your stupid team than somewhere alone."

"My team isn't stupid," she replied, a little offended. "They're just… a little overkill."

For a moment, memories of all their missions gone wrong flashed through her mind, and Cobra cringed.

"A little?"

 _Stop listening to me!_

"I would if I could, trust me. You may not show it, but you're as insane as the rest of your damn Guild, if not more," he scoffed.

"Well, guess you'll fit right in, then," she bit back, growing more and more annoyed.

He could only blink as she pursued on her merry way. The busty blonde kept surprising him, that was for sure. Who would've guess she'd be the first of the Fairies to warm up to him? While their banters were entertaining, most people wouldn't be so carefree around a former enemy that could kill them in the span of a second if he so desired.

 _Then again, she's not like most people,_ he shook his head, refraining a sigh.

"Oi, Cobra! Are you coming or not?" she suddenly stopped in her tracks, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Don't get your panties in a twist, Sunshine," he retorted, shoving his hands in his pockets.

 _Tche, I understand better why Kaelys got attached to her: they're both annoying as hell._

But he followed anyway.

* * *

.

.

When they arrived at the Guild, though, there was no sign of Team Natsu. Growing more and more worried, Lucy headed at the bar, where Mira was discussing with Cana.

When she saw her, the white-haired mage beamed.

"Lucy! I've got a message for you, from Team Natsu!" she called.

"Do you know where they are?" the blonde instantly replied, hoping for a positive answer.

"They left on a mission to Hanasuke Village," answered the Takeover Mage with a calm smile. "Kaelys seemed a little nervous, but I guess it's to be expected since its her first time separated from you, right?"

"… right."

Waving goodbye, the blonde didn't waste any time in returning to Cobra's side, who had already heard everything.

"So what, now?" he raised an eyebrow.

"I'm going after them. You coming?" she replied, already heading out.

"Oi, just wait a second, Sunshine."

She didn't stop, though, marching at a determined pace towards the train station to take the next ride towards Eston.

 _We'll have to walk for a while after that. Maybe I should stop by the house to grab some things? No, no time. What were they thinking? I can't believe they left with Kaelys alone. Who knows what might happen?_

"Would you stop already?" finally snapped the Poison Dragon Slayer, catching up to her. "You can't go, and I ain't about to let you either."

"W-what?" she stopped in her tracks, surprised, and then angered. "Why shouldn't I? Plus, what makes you think I'm going to listen to you?"

He refrained the urge to knock her unconscious here and there, if only so that he could have a moment of peace. However, her irate state _did_ made him tense a little, even if he'd never admit it to himself.

He wondered for a moment if going back to the Guild hall to get a drink with the Iron Dragon Slayer might be a better idea than standing in the Celestial mage's way, before shaking his head. He was Cobra of Oración Seis, damn it! It wasn't some busty blonde that would scare him off, hell no.

"Listen, Heartfilia, you have to understand something," he then cut off the girl's mental rant. "Kaelys is a big girl and, as much as I hate the thought, your stupidly rainbow Guild has helped her a lot more in the past two weeks than we of Oración Seis helped in the past _year._ She's still having trouble opening up to the rest of you, though, because _you're_ in the way."

"I'm _in the way?"_ she repeated, offended.

He clenched his fists a little, angry too.

 _Don't kill her. Whatever you do, don't kill her._

"You saved her life," he then gritted out, though calming down. "Just that forged a certain trust between the two of you, one that'll always be different from any other she'll form in the future. However, if you really want to help her, then you need to let her grow by herself too. Your team did the right thing by not inviting you this time around: it'll force her out of her shell and she'll have no other choice than to open up."

"We can't _force_ that, it's not-"

"You can't always pull her forward," he retorted, poking roughly her forehead. "Sometimes, you have to push a little too. Otherwise, if it ever happens that the two of you are separated, then she'll be stuck in place, unable to move on her own."

Understanding slowly but surely started dawning on Lucy, who lowered her eyes to the ground. No matter how she looked at it, Cobra had a point.

It didn't stop her from worrying, though.

"Titania has a Lacrima, right?" recalled the ex-criminal, and the blonde nodded. "Then call tonight, and see how everything's going. If worst comes to worst, then we'll _both_ go. Alright?"

"… alright," gave in the girl, letting out a deep breath, before spinning on her heels and heading in the opposite direction of the station. "Let's go home. Unless you want to go back to the Guild, of course. You _are_ allowed to go around alone, after all."

He stared for a moment at her retreating back. Her worry for Kaelys was genuine, and he could respect that. Himself was pretty wary of how the mission would turn out without the Celestial mage around.

Lucy had rationalized and actually listened to him, which was already a surprise. He hadn't expected his opinion to be actually considered -by anyone, really. And yet here she was, obviously having completely forgotten about the past and oblivious to the fact that _he was a criminal,_ damn it.

 _Going home?_

Cobra didn't have a home, he never did. All that mattered to him was Cubellios and, to an extent, the other members of Oración Seis. Kaelys had also taken a certain position in his priorities, but could anyone really blame him for it? He had passed a year training the kid and watching as she grew, after all.

But hey, hasn't it been said that home is where the heart is?

 _Urgh, this is getting me nowhere,_ he shook his head, before following the Heartfilia Heir once again, hands shove in his pockets. _I've been here for barely two days, and the Fairies are already turning me insane._

* * *

 _._

 _._

Once they returned, Lucy started preparing supper while the Dragon Slayer went in the living room to laze around a little. It had been a long time since he could allow himself to simply relax. Hell, he couldn't remember if he did before he joined Fairy Tail.

Soon enough, the delicious smell of well-cooked meat however drew his attention. Getting back on his feet, he entered the kitchen, and raised an eyebrow at the quantity of food now covering the table.

"Expecting anyone?" he raised an eyebrow, leaning against the doorframe.

She jumped a little at his voice, before offering a cheery smile.

"Actually, I don't really know how much you eat, so I decided to simply make as much as I could and readjust the portions later on. You know, with you being a Dragon Slayer and all…"

The girl trailed off, memories of Natsu's eating habits flashing in her mind. Cobra cringed at the images, scrunching his nose.

"I ain't a pig either," he retorted grumpily, slumping in the nearest chair.

"Well, I'll make less next time around," simply shrugged the blonde, taking her own seat in front of him.

She started eating without another look his way and, he had to admit, it was a little awkward. They never truly ended up just being together, after all, and even less for eating time.

And, while it honestly all seemed pretty good, he knew he'd never be able to even finish his normal plate. If there was one thing that lasted from his time in the Tower of Heaven –other than the scars and the trauma, of course-, it was his inability to eat much. He just couldn't take it, having gotten used to scraps of leftovers that couldn't even be identified as meals.

Still though, he _was_ hungry.

So, he started eating.

"What…" he trailed off as soon as he took the first bite, before snapping his eyes at her. "What did you put in it?"

"Hmm? Oh, it's the same thing Bootes gave you back at the asylum," the blonde answered, munching on her own steak. "Figured you liked it, so I asked Grandpa Crux to give me the recipe. Pretty simple to make, honestly."

"… you made _poison?_ In your _kitchen_?"

 _She's clearly mad. Or stupid. Or simply ignorant. Or all at once._

"It's not like I poisoned myself," she huffed, pouting a little. "I'm not _that_ stupid."

"And yet here you are, cooking some well-poisoned meal for a guy who tried to kill you and your friends not a month ago," he snapped back, a tad harsher than he intended.

There was a moment of silence. Then, with a sigh, Lucy placed down her fork before reporting her full attention on him.

"No matter what you may believe, I'm not crazy-" he snorted, and she rolled her eyes. "Not _totally_ crazy. I know who you were, where you come from, what you did. You were Cobra of Oración Seis, born and raised in the Tower of Heaven, and you were a criminal who did more unspeakable deeds than I really want to know about."

His grip on his own fork tightened at her words.

"Be careful about your words, Heartfilia," he seethed quietly. "If you truly know what I am, then you also know what I'm capable of."

"Today, though," she pursued, completely ignoring him. "You are Cobra of Fairy Tail, with origins unknown, and you're also the one who helped us save not only our Guild and our city when the Dragonoid attack, but also the one who came to rescue a precious friend."

His anger died down somewhat at that, and she took it as her cue to continue.

"I believe in second chances, Cobra," Lucy assured. "And I believe that Fairy Tail might be yours, just like it is Kaelys's. Even if I don't forget, I can forgive. We may have been enemies in the past, but you're part of our mad crew, now, whether you like it or not. Your past does not define who you are, nor who you can become. I know it won't be easy for anyone, but I'm ready to start over."

And with that, she looked at him, straight in the eyes.

"Are you?"

Silence ensued once again. She never looked away, waiting for his answer. After what felt like hours, he grunted and returned to his food.

"... thanks for the meal." _I guess I am._

"Of course," she simply smiled, before taking another bite.

* * *

.

.

As soon as they finished eating, Lucy didn't waste a second and grabbed her Lacrima, ready to call Erza and hoping she'd be able to speak to Kaelys. However, as soon as it was in her hands, it started ringing.

She answered instantly, knowing who it was.

"Kae!" relief washed over her. "I was so worried… is everything alright out there? Do you need anything? Want me to come over?"

"For hell's sake, Sunshine," groaned Cobra, coming in the living room. "Would you pipe down? You sound like an overprotective mother, it's annoying."

"And you're an asshole, yet do you see me complaining?" she huffed back.

"All the time, actually," he replied, a grin slowly stretching on his lips.

"Urgh!"

The Dragon Slayer couldn't stop himself. Teasing the blonde was simply too easy, and her reactions were priceless.

As for Lucy… well, she truly wanted to rip off that arrogant smirk of his.

 **"** **I'm doing fine,"** then answered Kaelys, actually speaking for the first time. **"We'll be taking the mission tomorrow morning, so we should be back home in the middle of the afternoon. Don't worry about me."**

"Loudmouth, with all the shit you keep getting into _and_ that destructing team of yours, there's no way Sunshine can't worry," scoffed Cobra, letting himself fall on the couch next to Lucy.

 **"** **Jerk,"** Kaelys clicked her tongue. **"I can take care of myself, you know?"**

"Cobra, stop antagonizing her," intervened Lucy, rolling her eyes. "Anyhow, don't hesitate to give a call if you ever need me, alright?"

 **"** **I will. See ya tomorrow, Lucy-nee, bastard."**

"Goodnight, Kae."

"Later, brat."

With that, the call ended as fast as it began. Lucy stared at her Lacrima for a moment, before sighing and letting her head fall on one of the decorative pillows.

"At least she seemed okay…"

"Told you she'd be fine," remarked the purple-eyed man. "Kid's a hard nut to crack. She'll be back tomorrow with the rest of your monster-team, and you'll live happily ever after in that batshit family of yours."

"You do realize it's _your_ family too, now, right?" she teased.

He glared for only answer, making her laugh.

* * *

When Lucy woke up the next morning, she was in a good mood. Kaelys was coming back today, she had made peace –sort of- with their other roommate the night before, and she was ready to enjoy a long, hot bath.

Humming under her breath, she went into the bathroom to start her morning routine.

A few minutes later, though, the noise of pans and kitchen tools falling startled her out of her peace of mind. Somewhat wary, she quickly got out of the bath and tied her towel around her, before opening the door and running to the kitchen.

The sight that greeted her was horrifying.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

"Breakfast, obviously," groaned Cobra. "Damn it, do you have to yell first thing in the morning?"

"THE TABLE'S ON FIRE!"

"I know that! Stop screaming already!"

"THE COUNTER IS MELTING!"

"I know that _too_! Can't you shut up!?"

"GET OUT OF MY KITCHEN! _LUCY KICK!"_

Before he could fully register what was happening, Cobra was violently slammed into the wall. Slumping to the floor, he moaned in pain with his hands slapped over his ears. Had he more than half-awake, he would have more than probably cracked a joke about her lack of clothes.

However, that was before she nearly knocked him unconscious with a quick that hurt as much as Titania's punches –which hurt _a lot._

"Get. Out. Now" ordered Lucy, a tick mark appearing on her forehead.

He ran outside without asking for more. Cobra wasn't one to bow before anyone but, this time around? He'd rather live to see another day.

 _Hell, I ain't suicidal._

* * *

Lucy made breakfast, all the while cursing under her breath about 'ex-criminals who just can't be trusted in the kitchen'. He had blanched at the memory that played in her mind, himself having learned the hard way not to let Kaelys to try and cook anything when they were with Oración Seis.

In the end, Cobra was no longer allowed in the kitchen, either.

* * *

.

.

They passed half of the day looking around town. Lucy knew they wouldn't be able to live comfortably in her little apartment much longer, and even less if other members decided to join Fairy Tail –it was pretty obvious the Magic Council would be sending all of them to live with her-. So, in the hours following their intense morning, they searched for bigger apartments that would be able to fit at least five people, if needed. They wouldn't find much better in a city as small as Magnolia, after all.

Keeping a few in mind, they then returned to the Guild. After Lucy's little outburst from the night before, and Cobra's acceptance –kind of-, things had gotten a little less awkward and they were both able to get along some more.

"We are _not_ taking the hot tub."

"Why not?"

"Oh, I don't know… because we don't have the fricking money? What would you do with a hot tub anyway? We've got one at the Guild!"

"As if I could enjoy a hot bath with those morons around."

"Well it's either the Guild, or no hot tub at all. Deal with it."

"Bitch."

"Jerk."

See? They were getting marvelously.

When they finally returned to the Guild, there was still no sign of Team Natsu, though. Pushing aside her worry and the need to call Erza, she went to the bar to get a smoothie while Cobra disappeared in the farthest corner, which was already occupied by Gajeel.

"Is everything going well with Cobra, then?" inquired Mira.

"Um?" blinked Lucy, sipping her cold drink. "Yeah, everything's fine. Kind of surprised me, to be honest, but he's not too much of a pain, so I guess it's okay. He can be a real jerk, though."

"I can hear you!"

The two girls shared a laugh at that, while he grumbled and downed another drink, Gajeel offering one of his infamous laughs in the distance.

"Lucy, dear?"

At Master's voice, the blonde raised her eyes to see the man standing on the second floor.

"Master?"

"Would you mind coming to my office for a moment? And Cobra too."

"S-sure," she shot a quizzical look to the barmaid, who simply shrugged and smiled.

"Tche," the Dragon Slayer however got up.

The both of them headed upstairs, wondering what the Master would want with them.

 _Maybe Cobra got in trouble?_

"I did _not,"_ he muttered, loud enough for her to hear.

"Are you sure you didn't steal an old lady's bag when my back was turned?" she deadpanned as they reached his office.

"Hilarious," he replied flatly.

Before they could bicker any longer, though, they were invited in. As the door closed behind them, Lucy sat in front of the Master's desk while Cobra leaned against the wall.

"First thing first," Makarov smiled at the both of them. "I am glad to see you are getting along so well-"

"Barely," Lucy mumbled.

"As if," scoffed Cobra.

"- I must admit that I was worried at first," the Master's smile only widened, though said smile quickly disappeared. "However, it is not to talk about Cobra's accommodation that I called you here".

"Is something wrong, Master?" Lucy's heart sped up a little. "Is Kaelys alright?"

"Uh? Yes, yes, she's fine," blinked the man. "Well, as fine as one can be when on a mission with Team Natsu. You would know firsthand how… particular, your missions cans get."

"Yeah…" she winced a little at that.

Ignoring their useless chatter, Cobra focused on the old geezer's mind. And yet, just like all of his previous attempts, he failed to even glimpse a single thought. The " _Master"_ possessed one hell of a mind barrier, that was for sure.

"When you returned from the rescue mission," the small man then returned the conversation on tracks. "Erza has brought back a certain… file. Kaelys's medical file, more precisely. I will be keeping it safely but, seeing as she is your charge, I was wondering if you would like to read it first, Lucy."

"Why am _I_ here, then?" Cobra raised an eyebrow.

"Because you are living with them too, now," shrugged the Master. "It would only be fair for you to know as well."

Lucy kept silent for a moment, staring at the file Makarov had placed on his desk in the meantime. It was a thick lecture, that was for sure. There were so many papers, so many notes, and she could even make out a few pictures in between some of the pages.

 _But…_

"I won't read it," she then announced, startling the Master.

"Lucy, child, are you certain?" he wondered, serious.

"Kaelys is my responsibility, yes, but she's also family now," answered the Celestial mage, shaking her head. "Reading her file… it would be like betraying her trust. Those are the notes taken by that Doctor, right? What he wrote down might be biased because of his personal part in this shitshow. I don't want to have doubts clouding my judgment, and I'd rather trust _her_ than trust that monster."

There was a moment of silence, broken by Cobra's low whistle.

"Damn, Sunshine," he blinked slowly.

"I won't blame you if you want to read it, Cobra," then informed the blonde, getting back onto her feet.

"Nan, I'm cool," he shrugged, rolling his shoulders a little, before shooting a glance the Master's way. "Be careful with that file, Old Geezer. If it falls into the wrong hands…"

"I know," assured the man, nodding in a soothing gesture. "I will be sure to keep it- wait, who're you calling an old geezer, you brat!?"

Cobra simply snorted and walked out with a slight wave, heading back downstairs to get another drink. Lucy and the Wizard Saint stared for a moment at the door, before the man's angry expression shifted into a grin.

"He's fitting in quite well, isn't he?"

"Definitely," agreed Lucy, smiling too. "Kae was right, about them deserving a second chance."

Her smile quickly turned into a scowl, though.

"He's still an asshole, though."

Master simply laughed at that, while the Celestial Mage left his office.

* * *

.

.

The doors suddenly slammed open, letting enter none other than Team Natsu.

"We're back!" announced loudly the pink-haired boy, waltzing in with Happy.

"Welcome back," beamed Mira. "So, how did the mission go?"

"A success," assured Erza, pulling out the report to hand it over to the barmaid.

Gray walked in at that moment, Kaelys on his back. Lucy, who had been sitting at the bar, stared for a second, wondering just why he was giving a piggyback ride to the younger girl.

"Lucy-nee!" grinned the teen, waving to her.

"Kaelys! You're- wait, what _happened_ to you!?"

She only noticed the bandages around her head and arms when Grey placed her on one of the chairs, and a gasp escaped her as she saw her leg, hidden from view by an heavy plaster.

"Why are you injured?" the Celestial Maiden rushed to her side.

"Oh, it was broken when one of the bandits returned my attack against me," answered the Thief mage offhandedly. "Don't worry about it, we already called Wendy and asked her to take a look."

"Why didn't you heal yourself? Didn't you copy Wendy's Magic?" wondered the blonde, still in panic mode.

"I didn't want to risk aggravating it," she shook her head. "I can't really control my Magic anymore. I don't know why, but it's as if it's gone haywire since we escaped from the asylum, so…"

"We'll check it out later with Loke," promised Lucy with a sigh, before pulling her into a hug. "I'm glad you're safe, though, even if I'd rather you don't get injured each time you go on a mission. Welcome back."

"I'm home," the teen simply hugged back.

When Lucy finally let her go, the tingling of the keys brought back something Kaelys had completely forgotten until then.

"Oh, that's right, I brought these back for her…"

"What are you talking about?"

Ignoring her, Kaelys rummaged through her pockets, until she finally found what she was searching for. With a wide grin, she then extended her hand, revealing two keys lying on her palm. Lucy's eyes widened.

"Kae…"

"Some merchants gave them to me as thanks for saving them," she informed, letting them drop in the blonde's hands. "We don't know what's going on with the black one, though. I felt kind of bad for leaving just like that, so…"

"Oh, you didn't have to," the Celestial Mage shook her head, though happy.

However, the teen failed to spot the 'happiness' part.

"You… don't like them?"

"What? No! No, I love them!" Lucy hugged her tightly once again. "Thank you, Kae. It really means a lot to me."

Glad she liked her new keys, Kaelys hugged back. While the teen did enjoy the mission with the others, she still missed the blonde, and knew she wouldn't leave her side for a while.

* * *

.

.

Lucy stared at the black key in her hands. She had contracted earlier with the silver key, which had revealed itself to be Aquila, Zeus's messenger bird. The Spirit had been quite nice, and eager to help out, though had been unable to tell her anything about the other key.

Crux was still searching in the Spirit World, though, and she felt kind of useless in that very moment, just sitting around and waiting for the answers to come.

"My Princess~!"

"L-Loke!"

The lion had just appeared, startling her. He bowed, before offering her a smile.

"I have brought a message from Crux," he then informed. "It has come to our attention that what you have now in your possession is an Elder Key."

"Elder Key?" repeated Lucy, the term unfamiliar.

"You see, there are five types of keys to fit the sixty-six constellations," he explained, Virgo appearing briefly to bring a board on which he could draw. "There are the Silver Keys and the Zodiac Keys, as you know already. However, there are also the Elder Keys, the Mythic Keys, and the Item Keys."

He started drawing a schema, putting numbers under each type of key.

"The Elder Keys are the first keys to have been created by the Celestial King himself," he pursued. "They are also the strongest, and take an enormous amount of Magic to call out. Last time someone managed to, it was a few centuries ago. Also, you need to be careful with those. To be able to form a contract with the Key, you first need to have a certain compatibility for it. If your Magic, personal goals, or persona in general does not comply with the Spirit's, then you won't be able to even touch their Gate."

Lucy nodded, captivated by the knowledge she was gaining. After all those years, there was still so much she didn't know about her own Magic!

"The Mythic Keys are those which have been created by humans," continued the Leader of the Zodiac. "To be able to contract with one of them, you need to prove yourself first. Each Mythical Spirit holds a certain quality in regards and, as long as you fail to prove yourself worthy, they will not agree to a contract."

"I wasn't aware Spirits could actually refuse to contract," admitted the blonde, a little confused.

"Well, it's only the Mythics that can do so," answered Loke, rubbing the back of his head. "The rules are somewhat different, seeing how they were created by the hands of mortals. And the Elders aren't exactly refusing the contract, they simply can't do it if there's no match."

"I see. What about the fifth type of keys?" then asked Lucy, impatient to know more.

"Item Keys are often considered the weakest," he finished drawing a fifth key on the board. "They do not have a conscious, they are merely spiritual objects that are brought from the Celestial Plane to the human world. Each is one of a kind, though, and all have special abilities. There is no contract to be formed if you ever find one, since they're mere objects."

"I understand," at that, Lucy looked back at the black key. "So, this is an Elder Key, right? Would you know to which Elder Spirit it belongs to?"

"Corvus, the Crow Spirit," with that, he bowed once again. "I shall take my leave, then. Do not worry about forming a contract. If it is meant to be, then Corvus shall be the one to come to you first."

"Thank you, Loke," she smiled at him, grateful. "You've been of great help. Thank Grandpa Crux for me too, okay?"

"Of course. I bid you good night, my Princess~" and then he was gone in a flash of gold.

With a sigh, the Celestial Mage shot one last look at the Elder Key, before placing it on her desk and turning of the light.

She'd know soon enough if forming a contract with Corvus would be feasible.

* * *

 **Alright people! So, some great CoLu bonding moment! Gosh, I love those two... And then there's the new Key(s) too! I was really excited to show you guys, since I've got loads of things planned out for this particular discovery. I've always wondered _why_ they never really showed other keys, considering there should be AT LEAST sixty-six of them -I think-. So, I'm obviously NOT going to use them all, but be certain that I'm going to explore and exploit that little ball of potential. **

**If you're confused about the new Keys, don't hesitate to ask, of course!**

 **Also, to answer some questions: no, she's not a Book of Zeref; yes, there will be pairing(s)-?-; yes, I'll do the GMG Arc (I love it SO much!), and yes, I'll do the Eclipse Gate Arc (can you guys just imagine Kaelys stuck in that shitshow? this is going to be _awesome_ ) but it'll probably take some time to get there, seeing as the Eclipse Gate Arc is the only one I never actually watched, and the Tartarus Arc is obviously going to be there too. In fact, ALL Arcs will be there saved for the Starry Key Arc. You know, where Lucy is kidnapped by Oración Seis and put in a clock? Yeah, I'm not sure I'll do it, considering Oración Seis kind of joined Magic Guilds; as for the movies, I won't do the Phoenix Priestess. Or, if I do, it'll be kind of a bonus/filler chapter, since I can't really place it in the timeline and, let's be honest: it wasn't the greatest movie ever. However, I saw Dragon Cry just yesterday, and I do have a few ideas. Of course, it'll only happen after Tartarus. **

**This story is written from the Anime episodes. However, once we reach the end of those, and if they haven't started making a new season yet, then I do intend to continue using the manga (I know where to find it, so yeah!).**

 **Don't hesitate to ask more questions, I'll be happy to answer! Without spoilers, of course *wink***

 **Love you guys!**


	16. Peace Under The Cherry Blossoms

**Hey, I'm back at last! I'm really sorry for the time it took, but the last chapter was a real pain in the ass to write -and really long, at that-. Honestly, this story is going to become a real shit-show... but I like it anyway, so let's keep it up!**

 **PS: I apologize for my mistake in the last chapter, there are indeed 88 constellations and not 66.**

 **PPS: Yes, there are a few filler chapters left -two, I think- but afterwards, it's straight for Edolas!**

 **PPPS: MERRY CHRISTMAS TWO DAYS LATE! AND HAPPY NEW YEAR IN ADVANCE!**

* * *

When Lucy woke up the next morning, the first thing she saw were two bright, red eyes staring down on her. Screaming, she kicked the covers and the intruder away and fell onto the floor, scrambling away in fright.

The door of her room instantly flew open, and Kaelys slammed the intruder into a wall with her telekinesis.

"What are you doing to Lucy-nee?" she snapped, voice cold and lacking emotion.

Lucy gaped for a second, still trying to wake up and grasp some control over the sudden situation.

Cobra then walked in, a scowl on his lips and an hand rubbing his ear.

"I swear to God, Sunshine, if you start making a habit of waking me up with your banshee screeching, we'll have some rules to make," he grunted, annoyed, before finally noticing the fourth party. "Who's that?"

Now able to think clearer, the blonde reported her attention on the mysterious intruder. It was a young boy, probably around Kaelys's age, with black hair and red eyes, who was staring at everyone in wonder –he was still stuck to the wall-. He was wearing a leather jacket over a red shirt, fingerless gloves, and there even were a few piercings on his left ear.

"Who are you?" the Celestial mage asked, slowly rising back on her feet.

"Me? I'm Corvus, the Crow Spirit," he grinned her way. "Nice to meet you! Want to make a contract with me?"

There was a moment of silence, before Lucy gestured for Kaelys to release him. She did so, though reluctantly. She still wasn't sure he wouldn't harm the blonde, after all.

"I thought we needed to be compatible to form a contract," she then remarked as he dusted his clothes. "I wasn't expecting you to appear to quickly."

"Well, our Magics are kind of opposites, but our goals are the same," he shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Got to warn you, though. I'm more than probably the easiest Elder Spirit to make a contract with, because of our balancing types of Magics. If you try with my older sister, you'll have a much harder time, for not saying it might never happen. Then again, you've got to find her first, so I guess it won't be anytime soon, but-"

"Urgh, would you shut up already?" snapped Cobra, already feeling a headache coming. "Just fucking great, another loudmouth joins the club…"

"Would you stop acting like an ass?" huffed Kaelys, swatting his arm.

"Don't feel like it. I'm going to get some coffee," he spun on his heels, heading for the kitchen.

"Don't you dare try to make any food," warned Lucy, eyes flashing.

She was still a _little_ angry after what happened to the kitchen the day before.

He simply waved his hand in the universal 'whatever' gesture, keeping his middle finger raised for half-a-second, before leaving the two girls with the new Spirit.

"You said we had the same goals," then remarked Lucy, a little confused. "What might they be?"

"Why, I want to make loads of friends too!" he beamed at her, obviously happy. "I've always ended up with masters that want power and whatnot but, since our Magics are always compatible, I'm forced to take the contract. Now, though, I think we're going to have a lot of fun! What's more, the contract is what'll take the most Magic power. As soon as we're contracted, summoning me will be a piece of cake, even more so with your Magic reserves! I can get out on my own, though, and I'll surely hang around for a while too. You don't mind, do you? And of course-"

"Alright, alright," finally, Lucy laughed a little, relaxing. "I'll be happy to make a contract with you, Corvus. Mind giving me some more information on yourself, though?"

"Um?" he blinked, surprised. "Oh yeah! So, I'm an Elder Key, which means that the stronger my compatibility with my master is, the stronger are my attacks and abilities! Basically, I control shadows. Making weapons is my specialty, but I also have a few long-ranged attacks. I'm a main combat-type, obviously, and I kind of suck when it comes to support only. _Really_ not my type of fight. Anyhow, you can summon me anytime for anything, though I'll probably just show up at random just because I can and because I like the mortal realm better than the Celestial Plane. Since I can only come out when there's a possibility of contract or if I actually _am_ contracted, I've been pretty bored for the last few decades. But hey, who wouldn't? It can be _so_ boring at times, really- aaaand, sorry, I've gotten off tracks a little. Again."

He offered a small smile, rubbing the back of his head in a sheepish and somewhat apologetic gesture. Lucy simply smiled back, though,

"Don't worry about it. We all have our little quirks, right?" she remarked, amused. "Plus, it might put a little more life around here. Cobra's a jerk and Kaelys isn't exactly the talkative type, you know?"

"I talk if I need to," shrugged the teen, not taking offense.

For the first time since he arrived, Corvus tilted his head and really looked her way. He knew she had been there since the beginning, but he had only focused on his future Master until then.

Red clashed with purple, and there was a moment of stillness… before his cheeks turned to a violent shade of crimson and he disappeared in a flash.

...

"… what was that about? Does he not like me?" blinked the black-haired girl, somewhat hurt the Spirit had flown at her mere sight.

After all, he was now Lucy's friend, which meant he was family. Shouldn't they try to get along?

 _'_ _Don't worry about him, I'm sure it's nothing'_

 **'** **Ah! Ain't what I've seen, that's for sure. He's got his eyes on you'**

"What?"

Lucy simply laughed once more, obviously understanding what had just happened much better than the purple-eyed girl. She also seemed to thoroughly enjoy Kaelys's confusion.

 _Love at first sight, uh?_ The blonde mused, ignoring the teen's pleads for answers. _This is going to be interesting. Who knows? I'm sure Loke will want to have part in the fun too._

* * *

 _._

 _._

Kaelys didn't really understood how it happened, but she ended up going with the rest of Team Natsu on a job once again, this time with Wendy, Carla, Lucy and Cobra, though. The atmosphere had been kind of tense at first, what with the Poison Dragon Slayer now around, but everyone loosened up when Natsu and him started arguing about whether or not Dragons existed, the interaction much resembling the ones Natsu and Gray usually held.

They had reached Mt. Hakobe soon enough, and the teen hadn't bothered on hiding her relief about bringing her cloak when the wind started blowing.

"Open! Door of the Clock! Horologium!"

The Clock Spirit appeared, and Lucy didn't waste any time in taking place inside of it. It was a little cramped, but it was better that than to be stuck in the cold.

 _"_ _-Brr! I came here underdressed again! It's so cold!-_ she says. _"_

"I-it really is cold…" agreed Wendy, rubbing her arms.

The poor girl hadn't thought of bringing something warmer than a _summer dress,_ of all things. Lucy had at least thought of bringing a jacket.

"What are you talking about?" however chided Carla. "This is nothing, you're too weak."

"Stop saying things like that," protested Kaelys with a frown. "Wendy's strong too, just not in the same way as others."

The white cat huffed, flying farther ahead. Scrunching her nose in annoyance, Kaelys then took off her cloak and dropped it on Wendy's shoulders.

"W-wait! You're going to b-be cold," protested the girl, though weakly.

"I'll be fine," the black-haired teen simply patted her head. "I've had worst."

"T-thank you…"

Before she could add anything, though, the Thief mage's vision was suddenly shadowed by an heavy cloth, which almost sent her rolling in the snow. Blinking, she took it off her head, only to realize it was Cobra's coat.

"Why are you giving this to me?" she asked, confused.

"I was stuck with you when you had that cold a few months ago," he made a face at the memory, obviously perturbed. "I am _not_ dealing with this shit again."

"Right, I've gotten sick on one of my missions," the teen then recalled, though it was quite far away. "Cobra had to take care of me since everyone else was away on other missions, and Brain couldn't have cared less…"

 **'** **That was** ** _hilarious'_**

 _'_ _Are you kidding? It was terrifying!'_

"What are you guys talking about?" blinked the black-haired girl.

"Don't _ever_ bring it up again," however growled the Dragon Slayer, hearing the voices.

 **'** **As if! I'll keep it as blackmail material'**

"Fuck you."

 **'** **She's way too young for that, but check again in four years or so'**

 _'_ _Oh my God, shut up already!'_

Cobra shuddered, though it wasn't from the cold. That damn voice never knew when to keep it shut, and to make even an allusion to… _that,_ with Loudmouth!?

 _Urgh. I think I'm going to be sick,_ he moved farther ahead to put as much distance possible between him and the psycho voice.

And poor Kaelys was as lost as one could be.

"Those guys confuse me…" she ended up putting on the coat anyway.

"It would seem the weather's getting better," then remarked Erza, ahead of the group.

"I'm hungry…" whined Natsu, easily keeping with her. He _was_ a walking heater after all. "Isn't there a fire somewhere?"

"Fire…?"

Kaelys trailed off, looking down at her hands. They were red from the cold, the skin already cracking a little. For a moment, she thought about bringing out her Book and offer some flames to Natsu, before shaking her head with a sigh. They still failed to understand what exactly was wrong with her Thief Magic, and she would probably end up melting half of the mountain if she tried one of the spells.

 _'_ _Don't worry, Kae, I'm sure you'll figure it out soon'_

 **'** **Or not'**

 _'_ _Urgh, will you stop that already? I'm trying to cheer her up!'_

 **'** **By sugarcoating? You know that she hates it'**

 _'_ _I don't-'_

"Guys, stop fighting," grunted the teen, massaging her temples with a cringe. "They're starting to give me a headache…"

They fell silent at that, much to her relief. After a few more minutes of walking –and much complaining from a few members of their party… Well, there still wasn't much progress, to be honest.

"Ne, Natsu!" called Happy, flying over to the pink-haired boy. "Do you really think that such a handy medicinal plant exists?"

"Who knows? Since it was in the request, I guess it _must_ exist," he shrugged for only answer.

"Yeah, but it says that if you brew it into tea, or mix it into a cake and eat it, your magic will become temporarily stronger," mused the cat. "I find it hard to believe, after all, they say that the most delicious fish is also the most poisonous!"

"More accurately, that should be 'every good deal has a catch'," corrected Erza.

"Gaah! I've been corrected by Erza!" freaked out poor Happy.

"Ignoring its medicinal benefits, our job is to gather those herbs from this mountain," recalled the red-haired woman. "While we're at it, we should gather a bit more so as to use it as a prize for tomorrow's bingo game. I'm sure everyone will be happy."

"OI! PLANT, IF YOU'RE AROUND-" his cries were cut off as he was suddenly slammed head-first into the snow.

"STOP YELLING, DAMN IT!" Cobra seemed to have no trouble whatsoever holding him down.

"- _Cobra, down boy-_ she said," announced the Clock Spirit in the back, quoting Lucy.

"I swear to God, if you make another dog joke…" he growler, however letting his fellow Dragon Slayer go.

"What was that for, you bastard!?" Natsu spat out some snow, fists flaming.

"I said to stop-"

"Stop fighting!" Erza hit both of them on the head, sending them crashing into the snow once again.

"Yes ma'am…" they answered, voices muffled.

Kaelys snorted at the sight. She had been a little worried when Cobra first joined them, but it would seem everyone was making efforts, and he was fitting right in.

"… eh, what bingo game?" the teen then caught up to Erza's earlier comment.

"You don't know about- oh, right," blinked Gray, suddenly remembering. "Well, tomorrow is the Rainbow Cherry Blossom Festival. The Guild celebrates it once a year. We watch them bloom, there's good and drinks and music, and-"

"And loads of fun activities too!" Natsu jumped between the two of them, completely forgetting about his fight with Cobra. "The bingo is the most popular! There are loads of prizes each year!"

"Oi, don't interrupt me, ash-for-brains!" snapped the Ice Make wizard.

"What, asking for it, you iced-underwear prince?" retorted the pink-haired mage.

"Try me, you reckless weak-ass flame bastard!"

"I said… STOP IT!"

Both boy were hit by Erza, thus stopping their bickering. Kaelys simply shook her head, already used to the… peculiar relationship of those three.

"Why 'rainbow', though?" she then wondered to herself. "Aren't cherry blossoms usually pink…?"

 **'** **You're in another fricking world, you have Magic, you're part of a Guild and all of the members are fucking insane, and** ** _now_** **you're asking questions… about the damned flowers!?'**

 _'…_ _fair point, I'm afraid'_

"I've seen so much already…" the teen simply mused, letting her eyes wander on the snowy landscapes surrounding them. "And yet so _little_ … this world truly is an amazing one, isn't it?"

 _'_ _Absolutely'_

 **'** **Better than the other one, at least'**

"Please, anything is better than the other one," Kaelys simply rolled her eyes.

* * *

They encountered a group fo Vulcans, though Kaelys simply stayed in the back with Lucy, Wendy and the cats while the other four took care of them. She didn't want to risk hurting them with her unstable Magic, and her Telekinesis would have brought down the cave on their heads.

Seeing as the Vulcans were of no help whatsoever, they pursued on their merry way, heading farther into the mountains. And Lucy, who had been ranting about the festival for a while now, was then dropped back outside as Horologium was sent back to the Spirit world.

"C-c-cold!"

"Hello~!"

They all jumped at the voice, though the Celestial mage, Cobra and Kaelys relaxed as they realized who it was.

"Who are you?" demanded Erza, suspicious.

"Don't worry, he's a friend!" assured Lucy, forgetting about te weather for a moment so as to stand by the newcomer. "That's Corvus, the Crow Spirit! His key is the black one Kaelys brought back from the mission."

"Hi!" beamed the Spirit. "It's great to meet you guys! I'm Corvus, and I'll more than probably keep hanging around! It's been really long since I could come into the human world, so-"

Lucy slapped her hand over his mouth with a sheepish grin.

"He's a bit of a big mouth, though," she simply excused.

"A bit?" Cobra made a face. "Trust me Sunshine, you haven't heard half of what he's _thinking._ "

"So cool! Ne, ne, are you strong?" Natsu exclaimed, excited.

Unfazed by Lucy's interruption, the black-haired boy simply nodded eagerly, a wide grin spreading on his face. The Celestial mage let him go, already dreading what was obviously coming next.

"FIGHT ME!"

"Sure-"

" _Not_ now," the blonde intervened before it could get out of hands. "Anyhow, Corvus? I truly don't mind you coming and going as you please, but I thought we would need to contract first…?"

"Uh? Oh, right!" the red-eyed Spirit slapped his forehead. "Anyway, it's actually why I'm here in the first place! I brought the contract, you simply have to send some of your Magic into the seal to confirm it and bam! We're contracted!" with that, he pulled out a scroll from his jacket, handing it to her. "Even though usual contracting doesn't work that way anymore, the Elder Keys are still bound by tradition, what with being the firsts and whatnot, so-"

"Wow, she wasn't kidding when she said he had a big mouth," sweatdropped Gray as the Spirit kept on rambling.

Kaelys stared at Corvus for a moment. Last time, he had simply disappeared when he saw her. Would he do it again? She hoped not, she wanted to be his friend too! Or maybe he just didn't like her…

 _'_ _Oh honey'_

 **'** **I wish I could eat popcorn'**

"What?" blinked the teen, confused once again.

That little exclamation however drew the attention of the Crow Spirit, who finally noticed her presence. His ranting instantly died down as he gaped at her, eyes growing wide.

Much like the first time they met.

"Just great," muttered Kaelys, looking away. "He's going to disappear again…"

"NO! I-I mean, I won't- I'm not- I can't-" the boy waved his hands frantically, panic swirling in his red orbs. "I didn't mean to- I couldn't control- I had to-"

"Damn it kid, just spit it out already," Cobra rolled his eyes, annoyed.

"Be nice," Lucy shushed him, enjoying the little show.

"Gaah! I'm sorry!" Corvus finally exclaimed, bowing to Kaelys. The black-haired girl could only stare, wondering what the hell he was trying to say. "I apologize for our last encounter! You took me by surprise, but it was no excuse to act so rudely! So, I'm very sorry, please forgive me!"

"I, err… forgive you?" Kaelys shot a helpless look to the others, who simply shrugged in answer.

Instantly, the Spirit straightened and beamed at her.

"Really? Thank you, that's great! Anyway, you must be Kaelys, right? Leo just can't shut up about you, you know? Oh, and Lucy mentioned you yesterday, but you were there so you know that already- _mmph_!"

Kaelys simply raised an eyebrow, her hand over his mouth. He stared down at her, surprised… before suddenly realizing their proximity. Instantly, the tips of his ears turned as red as his eyes. Not noticing his reaction, the young girl simply shook her head before pulling away.

"I feel like this is going to be a thing…" she muttered. Then, she looked back at him, wondering why he was so silent all of sudden. "Are you okay?"

"I, uh, I'm just… you know, _cough,_ I mean I simply…" he averted his gaze, pulling at his collar a little. "Hey, isn't it hot all of sudden or what? Ah, ah, ah…?"

 _'_ _I don't know whether to feel pity or amused'_

 **'** **Amused, definitely'**

"You think?" Kaelys simply frowned, placing an hand over his forehead. "Doesn't that mean he's sick or something? I can't really remember…"

 **'…** **alright, maybe some pity after all. Poor sap'**

"He liiiiikes her," Happy grinned behind his paws.

"Shut it cat!" instantly growled the Spirit, snapped out of his daze.

Cobra simply groaned in annoyance while the rest of the group chuckled, and Kaelys… well, stayed as clueless as ever.

"Alright, alright," Era finally demanded for some attention. "As nice as it is to meet Lucy's new Spirit, we still have a mission to accomplish. Corvus, you are welcomed to accompany us if you want to."

"Thanks, but I think I'll pass on this one," he shook his head, taking a step away from the group. "While I'm using my Magic to be here, I'm also using some of Lucy's seeing as we're not contracted yet and I thus need an anchor in the mortal realm. I'll see you guys later, once the contract is made! Have fun!"

He winked at them, offering a salute, before disappearing. Before anyone could make a comment, though, Natsu let out a victorious cheer.

"I've found it! It's definitely the smell of a medicinal plant!" he assured, already running ahead.

"Amazing sense of smell, as usual," deadpanned Happy.

"Do you even know what that plant smells like?" added Carla, unconvinced.

"Nope!" They all slumped in defeat at his answer. "But I'm sure about it. Let's go, Happy!"

"Aye sir!"

Next thing everyone knew, the both of them were gone. Lucy's eye twitched violently, and Kaelys simply patted her shoulder in comfort.

"Geez, he's as rash as ever," sighed Gray with a shake of his head.

"We should follow him anyway," pointed out the Knight. "His sense of smell is pretty reliable, after all."

"Cobra, Wendy, can _you_ smell anything?" wondered the teen, curious. "These guys are Dragon Slayers too, so…"

"I-I'm still not as good using those senses," Wendy blushed in slight embarrassment.

"I've been more focused on hearing than smelling," Cobra simply shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets. "But he's right, the plant's ahead."

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Carla crossed her arms over her chest.

"Well, not like we can just let him go alone," pointed out Kaelys, already moving forward. "Who knows what kind of trouble he'll get into?"

"Fair point," the rest chorused, before following.

After a few minutes, cheers from the _top of the mountain what the actual fuck_ echoed, reaching the group, which was still way below.

"He's fast," sweatdropped Lucy.

"Fast is good." Gray froze, then made a face, suddenly realizing what he just said.

"Please don't," deadpanned Cobra and Kaelys in a single voice.

"As expected," remarked Erza, ignoring them.

"Natsu-san is amazing!" beamed Wendy.

"He's a beast, as I thought," mumbled the white cat.

Suddenly, an inhuman screech echoed through the mountains. Lucy jumped in fright, Wendy eeped, while Erza, Gray, Kaelys and Carla tensed.

Cobra stayed relaxed, though the corner of his lips was twitching in a smirk.

"Let's go help him!" And with that, they all started running towards the top.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?" huffed Kaelys to her fellow ex-member of Oración Seis.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Loudmouth," replied the Poison Dragon Slayer, though he could no longer mask his grin.

* * *

They finally reached the top, where a White Wyvern had made his appearance and was now protecting fervently the medicinal plants they were aiming for.

"… so beautiful," gasped the purple-eyed girl, in awe.

"No, we can't keep it," warned the maroon-haired man with a roll of his eyes.

"Aww…"

"I guess this is what they call 'killing two birds with one stone'," mused Gray, preparing a spell while facing the beast. "Did you know that the scales of a White Wyvern sell for quite a bit?"

"Perfect!" replied Natsu, fists glowing red. "Let's pluck all these scales off this creature along with these plants!"

"Leave this one to us. Lucy, the rest of you should stand back," she Requiped into one of her armors. "We'll distract that thing. When you see the chance, get the plants."

"Hai!" beamed Wendy.

"Guess I don't have a choice," grumbled Carla.

"Aren't we in the most dangerous position that way?" wondered Lucy, making a face.

"Don't worry, I can use my telekinesis just fine," proposed Kaelys.

"I leave it to you," nodded the red-haired woman, before charging at the Wyvern. "Let's go, Natsu, Gray, Cobra!"

The four of them attacked the wild beast while the other five slowly but surely made their way towards the plants. They had to be discreet, seeing how the Wyvern would spot them at a single wrong movement. Kaelys would have used her telekinesis, but the plants would have either been destroyed by the attacks of their friends or the scaled monster.

 **'** **MOVE!'**

Startled, the teen suddenly jumped to the side, taking Happy and Wendy with her while Lucy and Carla moved the opposite way. A second later, Natsu's attack hit their ancient position, having been reflected by the Wyvern.

"Alright, change of plans," the Thief mage gritted her teeth. "I cover us, and you guys grab the plants."

As if on cue, another attack was reflected their way, this time being Gray's. Kaelys called forth her Book and using a Reflector spell, managed to send it away.

"Wait, Kae, be careful with that-"

Her warning was however cut off as, this time, Cobra's attack fell onto them. Kaelys used the spell again. However, instead reflecting it, it completely destroyed the swirling ball. It exploded, sending poison everyone. The snow melted under the drops of deadly liquid, and Kaelys hissed in pain when one fell on her hand.

"Damn it!"

Sending away her Book, her exclamation had however already drawn the attention of the beast, who now took notice of the rest of their team. Snarling, the beast turned its claws her way. Cursing under her breath, all she could do was run as it flew after her with a screech.

"Kaelys!" Lucy exclaimed in worry.

"Get the plants!" barked the teen, moving the farther from them as possible. "I'll occupy it!"

"R-right!"

 _'_ _What the hell are you thinking!?'_

 **'** **Don't distract her now of all times, seriously!'**

 _'_ _Oh, right. My bad'_

Ignoring them, Kaelys let herself slip to the ground as one of the Wyvern's wings passed above her head, aiming to slice her in two. Diving under the beast and running between its legs, she then faced it and, using her powers, grabbed it to maintain it in place.

Which was _not_ an easy feat, mind you.

"Guys, little help!?" she called. She wouldn't be able to hold on for much longer.

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"

"Ice Make: blizzard!"

"Lance of Justice!"

"Roar of the Poison Dragon!"

All attacks hit at once, this time reaching their target. The magnitude of the explosion that followed was however too much, and Kaelys was sent flying. Easily catching her fall, she landed back on her feet next to the four mages.

"Shit!" suddenly exclaimed Cobra, staring farther ahead with wide eyes. "Get cover!"

And suddenly, the avalanche was on them. Startled, Kaelys used her Magic to push back against the flow of the snow, creating a small shield that was however enough to protect her and the other four.

After seconds that felt like hours, the flow stopped. Letting out a shaky sigh, Kaelys dropped her shield, panting a little.

"Thanks for the save, Kae," Gray ruffled her hair.

"I am _not_ doing this again," she warned with a huff.

"Is everyone okay?" asked Erza, looking around.

Carla flew over to them, transporting Wendy, and Happy appeared next to Natsu, who was standing on top of the defeated Wyvern.

"Oh? Where's Lucy-san?" then wondered Wendy.

"Lucy, where are you?" called the blue cat.

Panic started flowing over Kaelys. Lucy had been caught in the avalanche, she might be trapped, or hurt, or even worse-

Before she could worry any longer, though, the blonde suddenly popped out of the snow. She seemed a little shaken, shivering violently, but she was holding tight onto the medicinal plants they had come after in the first place.

"C-cold…"

"At least she's okay…" the teen sighed in relief. Then, she ran over to her. "Don't worry, Lucy-nee, we're going home now."

"T-t-t-that sounds n-n-nice…"

 **'** **She's going to be sick'**

 _'As if'_

* * *

Once they returned to Magnolia, and after delivering the completed mission and gathering their money, all went their separate ways. As soon as the others left, though, Lucy turned a glare, both angry and tired, Cobra's way.

"You couldn't have warned us about the Wyvern because…?"

The Dragon Slayer glanced at Kaelys, who shook her head. She hadn't snitch on him, but she still wanted answers too.

"Because I wanted revenge on Salamander for fucking destroying my eardrums during our fight on Nirvana?" he then replied, raising an eyebrow in challenge.

"I… have nothing to say against that," the blonde admitted. "But only this time, Cobra. I'm serious. You're part of the team, now, which means that if _we_ fail, then _you_ fail _too._ You have as much of a responsibility as the rest of us."

"Tche, that's rich coming from the girl who did nothing but complain and scream for the whole goddamn mission," he snapped back, not exactly enjoying to be lectured. He was an S-ranked criminal, for fuck's sake!

"Cobra!" exclaimed Kaelys, outraged.

Lucy shook with barely restrained rage, tempted to Lucy-kick him, before gritting her teeth and spinning on her heels, heading away. She didn't want to get in a fight with him, not now. Plus, really, what could she answer to that? As much as it hurt, his words had been true. She had been useless during the mission, and that was a fact that, like it or not… she needed to hear.

 _I'll show him,_ she swore, stomping away. _I'm not useless, defenseless, or weak. This mission is the last of my helpless fits. I will_ not _let that asshole get the upper hand again, that I promise, damn it!'_

Cobra stared at her retreating back, some relief flowing over her. Despite appearances, he wasn't trying to hurt her or anything of the sort. He regretted the words as soon as they left his traitorous mouth. He was supposed to get along with blondie, after all.

 _Well, at least she's stronger of mind than of body,_ he massaged his temples, making his way to the Guild. _Kaelys would have had my head if I hurt her precious Lucy._

"Cobra?"

"Hmm?" he and the teen started heading home too.

"If you break her…" A chill ran down his spine as, for the first time, he truly experienced Kaelys's killing intent. It was cold and dry and _damn it I can't breath what the fuck is happening-_ "I'll break _you_. Promises. Be. _Damned_. Got it?"

He could only nod, genuinely scared by now. Instantly, the pressure was relieved, and she beamed at him.

"Good! Now let's go, we're eating spaghetti tonight," she grinned, pulling him along.

 _As if she wasn't screwed over enough,_ sweatdropped the Poison Dragon Slayer, however following. _Now she's got a sister-complex_ and _grew bipolar?_

 _Just fucking great._

* * *

"A-a-achoo!"

 **'** **Called it'**

"What? You're not going, Lucy?" blinked Natsu.

"The Rainbow Cherry Blossom Festival is a pretty event, you know!" added Happy.

"I-I want to go- _achoo_!"

"But she can't," completed Kaelys, replacing the covers over the blonde. "She's sick, can't you tell? She's caught a cold during that mission yesterday."

"And I was looking forward to - _achoo!-_ it, too," added miserably the Celestial mage.

"Me too…" sighed wistfully the teen.

Instantly, Cobra swatted her behind the head.

"Ow! What was that for, asshole?" she rubbed the sore spot.

"You've been talking non-stop of going to that damn festival since you've heard of it yesterday, and I'll be damn if I also have to go through the _both_ of you complaining that you missed it," he bared his fangs a little. "You're going, end of story. I'll… urgh, dare I say it: I'll take _care_ of Sunshine here."

"But-"

"Yo!"

They all blinked at Corvus' sudden appearance, and he waved in greetings, before turning to Cobra and shoving some papers in his hands.

"Leo wanted me to tell you that Virgo will be coming later to make supper, since you've been banned form the kitchen," he explained with a grin. "These are the instructions set by him, since he can't come on his own when his anchor –which is Lucy's Magic, by the way- is unstable. I'm not bound to that myself, since the Elder Keys are stronger and thus we don't need a much stable anchor to be able to come and stay in the mortal realm! Also, he warns you that if you mess up, he's going to mess _you_ up. Oh, and-"

"God damn fucking lion…" muttered the Dragon Slayer, ticked off. "In what shit have I gotten myself into?"

"Aaaanyway!" the Spirit then spun around to face Kaelys. His grin widened somewhat, though some red was obvious on his cheeks too. "I also have a mission of my own: to bring _you_ to the festival! Since Lucy can't go, and Leo doesn't want you to go alone either, he has trusted me with your very first rainbow cherry blossom viewing! So, ready to go?"

"But- but Lucy-nee-"

"Go, Kae," the blonde's weak voice drew all's attention. She then smiled softly. "Enjoy it for the both of us, alright?"

"… alright. I know! I'll bring you back a prize from the bingo, okay?"

"You do that. Have – _achoo!-_ have fun, you guys."

After another moment of hesitation, Kaelys ended up going with Natsu, Happy and Corvus, leaving Lucy in Cobra's care.

* * *

"Damn, that's no fun at all," remarked the pink-haired Dragon Slayer.

"We don't have a choice since she caught a cold," however pointed out the cat. "And she was really looking forward to it…"

Kaelys looked down at that. After they came back from the mission, Lucy hadn't waste anytime in completing the contract with Corvus. The teen should have seen then how out of shaped the blonde was. The contract took a lot of Magic, yes, but Lucy should have still been able to stay awake afterwards. Instead, she instantly went to sleep and, well, the next morning…

"Don't worry about her," Corvus placed an hand on her head with an easy-going smile. "She's in good hands, right? Let's just focus on the festival for now. She wouldn't want you worrying like that."

"… right," finally gave in the young girl, before smiling at him. "So, what are we supposed to do?"

"Well…"

Without warning, he grabbed her hand and, next thing she knew, they were running down the street, leaving Natsu and Happy in the dust. After some stumbling, Kaelys finally managed to catch the pace, and started running alongside the Spirit.

After a minute or so, they reached the gardens, where was held the festival.

"… wow."

There truly was no other world to describe the view. The trees were in full bloom, pink petals flowing everywhere and a sweet perfume lasting in the air.

"So pretty…" she gaped, suddenly overwhelmed.

"Come on, it's only getting started!" Corvus pulled her along.

Once in the gardens, they found the rest of the Guild gathered, already sharing drinks and food. Mirajane was passing along the plates, Cana was hogging all the alcohol for herself, Elfman was spouting nonsense about manliness as per usual, Jet and Droy were all over Levi… as per usual, yet again. Farther away, she spotted the rest of Team Natsu –saved for Cobra and Lucy, obviously- who were apparently discussing the blonde's absence.

"There you go!"

Kaelys blinked, pulled out of her thoughts as Corvus offered her a dango stick. She grabbed it, wondering for a moment if it was safe, before shaking her head and taking a bite. It's not like _Corvus,_ of all people, would try to poison her.

"It's good!" The sweetness made her mouth water, asking for more.

"Isn't it?" beamed the boy, enjoying his own. "It's been so long since I've been able to eat human food… we don't need it, what with being Spirits and all, but I always liked the taste better. Humans can be so _cool!_ I mean, they can be weird and stuff sometimes, but you're all so great! You… ah, sorry. I'm rambling again, aren't I?"

"It's okay," she assured with a small smile. "It must also have been a while since you actually talked to be people, I'll assume?"

"Ah ah, not really…" he scratched his cheek sheepishly. "I'm just kind of born like that. I can try and keep quiet if you want, though."

"Why would I want that?" she replied, tilting her head. "I like your voice, so it's nice hearing you talk."

There was a moment of silence. Then, he spun on his heels and grabbed her hand again, pulling her behind him. She couldn't see his face, but the tips of his ears were red again.

"C-come on! There are loads of stands that way!"

"Wonder what's gotten into him…" mumbled the teen, following anyway.

 _'_ _I've said it before and I'll say it again: oh, honey'_

 **'** **Her innocence physically hurts, and I don't even _have_ a body'**

* * *

"And now, it's time for the annual festival's bingo competition!"

Cheers followed Mirajane's announcement, and Corvus and Kaelys went to sit under one of the trees, not too far from everyone else.

"We've got a grand lineup of prizes for this year too!" added the Master, obviously already under the effects of the booze. "Everyone, give it your best shot!"

"Hai!"

"Alright, is everyone ready? Then please, open up the hole in the middle of your card" instructed the white-haired woman.

Kaelys did as told, excited. She had played bingo only once before, back when she was in school. It seemed so far away now that she thought about it…

"Hey, you okay?"

"Just reminiscing," shrugged the girl, offering him a smile. "Anyhow, Corvus… I challenge you!"

"Oh?" he raised an eyebrow, curious as to where this was going. "I'm all ears."

"The first one of us who wins a prize… gets to make the looser do a dare, whatever it is," her smile broadened. "You up to it?"

"Sure! But if none of us gets a prize, then we _both_ have to do a dare for the the other," he countered.

"Deal!"

They shook hands to seal their agreement. As if on cue, the horn announcing the beginning of the game echoed.

"Number 24!"

And so the battle began.

* * *

The hour went on, none of them getting any closer to the prizes, which were taken away one after the other. Kaelys never thought herself to be the competitive kind, but playing with/against Corvus was fun. She was having a good time, and Lucy's state was no longer on her mind.

"I'm missing only one number!" suddenly announced the Spirit next to her.

She checked her card, and grinned.

"Same!"

...

"And now… number 17!"

 _"BINGO!"_

There was a moment of silence at the sudden, loud exclamation. Then, all eyes turned to the duo. The both of them had spoken at the same time.

They turned to each other, gaping.

"What… wait, who won the bet, then?" almost whined Corvus. "Not fair!"

Kaelys stared at him, still dumbstruck, before glancing back to her card, then to his, then back at him.

Then…

"Ah… ah, ah… ah, ah, ah! _Ahahahahaha_!"

All of the members of the Guild could only stare, mouth agape, as Kaelys started laughing. The sound was loud, finally free after so many years of containment. She was holding her stomach, a few tears streaming down her face.

"Oh my…" Mirajane smiled softly at the sight.

"I-it's the first time she's laughed…" realized Levi, an hand over her mouth.

Not wasting any time, Erza took out a Lacrima, and composed Lucy's number.

 _"Ahahahahaha!"_

* * *

"Will you stop moping already?"

The stubborn blonde ignored him, turning her back to the Dragon Slayer. Cobra's eye twitched. He had been trying to get her out of her goddamn delusions since the brat left, to no avail.

And he was getting _sick_ of babysitting duty.

"Alright, enough of this shit!" he finally snapped.

He grabbed her covers and, without much ceremonies, rolled her into them like some sort of burrito. Ignoring her protests and coughing, he then lifted the whole package in his arms, shifting it onto his back. Grunting at the weight, he however somehow kept his balance –which was seriously off thanks to the number of blankets.

Then, without further ado, he made his way outside.

"C-Cobra _–cough-_ Cobra, what are you doing!?" protested Lucy, though too weak to struggle.

"You want to see the damn trees, don't you?" he retorted, annoyed. "Then shut up. You're going to see them, you're going to enjoy them, and then you'll stop fucking moping around, got it?"

She fell silent at that, and they got outside. Slamming the door shut behind him with his feet, Cobra then started making his way towards the gardens. He could hear the Guild partying from miles away, so finding the location was as easy as stealing a baby's lollipop.

"Thanks," finally muttered the blonde, giving up.

"Don't," the maroon-haired man shook his head, suddenly tired. "Take it as me making it up to you for yesterday's fight. I was being an ass-"

"More – _cough-_ more than usual?"

"More than usual," he relented. "And I _may_ have been a _bit_ too harsh."

"Aww, Co – _cough, cough-_ Cobra!" her lips stretched a little. "Is that your _–cough-_ way of apologizing?"

"I don't do apologies," he snorted. "And it wasn't all for you either. I want to see Cubellios. That damn Master's been keeping her at the Guild ever since we came back and I'm tired of not getting answers."

"Betting – _cough-_ on his mind becoming jelly thanks – _cough, cough-_ to the alcohol before fishing for _–cough-_ said answers?" deadpanned the blonde.

At that, the ex-member of Oración Seis couldn't hide a smirk, fangs showing.

"You know me too well, Sunshine."

Her body shook, her laughs however turning to pitiful coughs. After a moment, though, they reached the gardens. The whole Guild was present, obviously playing the annual bingo game. It was also apparently coming to its end.

 _"And now… number 17!"_

 _"BINGO!"_

The utter silence that followed the _loud_ exclamation was heaven for Cobra, even though it was of such a short notice. Everyone then looked to the source, which proved itself to be none other than Kaelys and Corvus.

The two teens faced each other, gaping.

"What… wait, who won the bet, then?" the Spirit's whine echoed. "Not fair!"

The black-haired teen could only stare, much like everyone else. All had been taken aback by the sheer volume of the two, after all.

Then…

"Ah… ah, ah… ah, ah, ah! _Ahahahahaha_!"

"Well I'll be damned," whistled lowly Cobra.

 _"Ahahahahaha!"_

At the same time, the Lacrima he had in his pocket –it was Lucy's, but he would soon be getting his own- rang.

"We're already here, Titania," he said as soon as he answered.

 **"** **W-what?"**

The red-haired woman looked for them, before finding them at the entrance of the gardens. Lucy was on Cobra's back, shaking violently. Anger growing, the Knight put away her Lacrima and stomped over to them, determined to beat some sense into the Dragon Slayer.

"What do you think you're doing?" she seethed. "Can't you see she's sick? She's shaking-"

"Look closer, Titania," drawled the infuriating man.

Almost snarling, she however did as told… only to realized that Lucy wasn't shaking from her cold, but… from sheer emotion. Tears were flowing down her cheeks as she tried and failed to contain her sobs.

 _Happy_ sobs.

"She's laughing…" she cried softly. "She's finally laughing… and it's _beautiful…_ "

"Oh, Lucy," Erza's rage vanished, and she patted the blonde's head gently.

 _Thank you, Cobra,_ the gratefulness of the Celestial mage hit him like a tons of bricks in the face. _Thank you, for allowing me to hear her._

He kept silent for a moment. Then, the Requip mage turned away to call over the rest of the blonde's friends, and he sighed.

"Erik."

"W- _cough-_ what?" wondered the blonde.

"My real name… it's Erik."

* * *

As it turned out, only one prize was left. It was a small, silver bracelet with a red gem. Corvus shrugged, saying she could have it since he wasn't one for jewelry. She simply beamed at him, knowing he had let her have it since she said she would bring a prize back to Lucy.

"Eh! You made it after all, Lucy!"

Kaelys stiffened at Happy's exclamation, before swirling around to try and spot everyone. After a second, she finally saw everyone… gathered around Lucy and Cobra?"

"Come on!"

This time around, she's the one who grabbed Corvus and pulled him along as they ran towards the sick mage. When they got there, Kaelys wasted no time as her worry washed over her once again.

"What are you doing out of bed? You should be resting!" protested the teen.

"I _–cough-_ didn't really have a choice in the matter," chuckled Lucy, gently ruffling her hair. "Though I'm _–cough, cough-_ I'm glad we came."

"Uh? Why?"

"I'm just glad _–cough-_ you're having fun," simply answered the Celestial maiden. "So, you won something?"

"Oh, right! Here!"

Kaelys presented her the bracelet. However, when she tried to give it to her, Lucy simply shook her head and pulled her hand away.

"You won it, Kae. Keep – _cough, cough-_ it as a souvenir, alright?"

"But I said I would win something for you…"

"That was _–cough-_ because I couldn't come, right?" replied the blonde. "But I'm here now, so I don't need it."

"I guess that makes sense," agreed the teen, before smiling again. "Alright, then. But…" the smile left place to a scowl as she faced Cobra. "What the hell were you thinking, you jerk!? Bringing her out when she's so sick? She could get worst!"

"Calm down, Loudmouth," he groaned, rubbing his ear. "I've got it under control. Why don't you just return to playing with the other brat or something?"

"I'm not a brat!" instantly protested the two concerned parties.

"Your boyfriend, then," the man rolled his eyes.

"My what?"

"Her what!?"

"Cobra, stop _–cough-_ stop teasing them," chided Lucy, poking his cheek. "A-anyway, we'll see you guys later. Keep having fun _–cough-_ , okay?"

"Yeah, sure thing! Come on, Corvus, I want more dango!"

The Spirit shot a dark look at Cobra, who simply snorted, before following the girl.

"He's whipped."

"He liiiiikes her," guffawed Happy.

"I think it's cute," Lucy coughed again, though she was smiling.

 _Just hope it won't get too serious. God only knows what'll happen if these two somehow-_

"Hey, Corvus? Why are you red again, are you sick too?"

"W-w-wait! I'm not- I don't- I mean I simply-"

The sick girl coughed, sweatdropping.

 _Or not. With how clueless Kaelys is, they won't get around before the next century._

* * *

The last rays of the sun were now disappearing in the mountains. Corvus and Kaelys were sitting on one of the hills, enjoying yet another plate of dango sticks.

"Ne, Corvus?"

"Hmm?"

"… do you wish you could be human too?"

The Spirit froze at that, and even stopped chewing. The teen bit her lower lip, unsure whether to continue or not, before shaking her head.

"I-I mean, it's just that you keep talking about how great humans are, how you prefer our realm to the Celestial Spirits'…"

The black-haired boy swallowed harshly, before looking down.

"… it's not so much as I'd like to be human," he then admitted, playing with a strand of grass. "More like I wish… I could be human _again."_

It took a moment for the girl to understand.

"You were once human?" she gasped. "B-but how? When? What happened?"

"The Elder Keys… all of us were humans once." His tone turned somewhat bitter. "We are _literal_ spirits. We were all humans, and we all died one way or another. However, our deaths were more like… sacrifices, if you want to hear it that way. Each of us lost our lives for a greater cause, but none would ever be remembered. Seeing this, the Spirit King felt inspired, and granted us a second chance at life, as the firsts Celestial Spirits."

"Sacrifices…" Kaelys had no answer to that.

"My sister and I died saving our village from a monster," he clenched his fist. "We were… not happy, but we were okay with giving our lives so as to save all of them. However, when we returned as Spirits… it was no longer there. So many years had passed, and not a trace was left of its previous existence. As of today, I only have my sister left, but I haven't seen her for decades, if not centuries. And I'm… growing tired of it. Of this damned cycle of death that keeps following us around…"

"I… don't understand," admitted the black-haired girl with hesitation.

He let out a shaky breath, before raising his head. Red clashed with purple.

"Imagine, for a moment… you become friends with your Master, with their family and their other friends, you learn how to live in this era and age, you meet people and you see places and you discover new things everyday. And then, one day, it's over. Time has caught up, and you see all those people, those places, those discoveries… slowly wilting, turning to ashes, growing older and older while you stay the same, forever and ever. And then all's gone, and you're back to square one with no other choice than to live on."

"Corvus…"

"I have met so many _great_ people in my life," he chocked out, gritting his teeth. "Some were terrible, some were worse, but most were amazing and kind and- and all I could do was watch by the sidelines as they wrinkled and turned to fricking corpses! And I'm happy I got to meet Lucy, and you, and all of the others, but I'm also terrified because I _know_ that, one day? You'll all also disappear from my life forever. I just wish… I could stop _everything_. If this is the price to be a Spirit… then I'm tired of paying it."

Heavy silence followed his confession. Kaelys didn't know what to say. Who could actually say something after that?

 _'_ _Don't say anything, then. Act'_

Hesitating for another second, the teen then decided to go with the flow, and wrapped her arms around him. He stiffened, but she didn't let go. After a few seconds, he hugged back. The embrace was awkward, at best, but it seemed to be enough for the Crow Spirit.

"Thank you." He then let her go, and she also pulled away.

"What for?"

"Listening," he offered a tentative smile at that. "It's been a while since I've actually got it all off my chest."

"Anytime, Corvus," she replied, genuine. "And you know… you can tell everything to Lucy-nee too, right? She'll listen too, if you ever need it."

"I know. I'm truly grateful, too," he added, a calm but cheerful attitude now taking over. "For my Key to end in the hands of a Celestial mage like her… well, I guess I'm pretty lucky, uh? And I'm glad I got to meet you, too."

With that, he poked her nose. She crossed her eyes at the sudden gesture, earning a laugh from the boy. Before Kaelys could react properly, though, a light suddenly shone farther down the hill. Curious, she reported her attention on its source.

"It's…"

"Rainbow Cherry Blossoms," sighed happily Corvus. "Always take you breath away, doesn't it?"

"It's beautiful…"

They fell silent afterwards, simply enjoying the sight. The pink petals had turned to blue and green and orange and… well, rainbow. A soft light was emanating from each petal, and the mild breeze of the night made the branches dance to an eerie tune.

Kaelys felt her heart… beat. It was there. Full. Alive. For the first time in a very, _very_ long time, she felt genuinely happy. It wasn't the same as the relief she felt when she was accepted by Fairy Tail, or the gladness when she escaped the asylum, or the joy when Cobra joined them…

She was happy because she was there, in that very moment, with the people she called her family a few meters away and a great friend by her side. She was happy because she was finally allowed to see the true beauty of the world despite all of its harshness, because she no longer had any burdens to bear alone.

She was happy because she… she was free. At last.

"Corvus?" She let her head fall on his shoulder.

"Yes?" If he minded her proximity, he never said a word about it.

A smile graced her lips as her eyes started closing by themselves.

"For what it's worth-" A yawn cut her off, making him chuckle. "For what it's worth… I'm really glad I met you too…"

 _In fact… I'm glad I met everyone…_

* * *

Lying against a tree while the rest of Team Natsu huddled around Lucy to keep her warm, Cobra stiffened.

He heard her.


	17. Out Of Control

**Heya people! I'm so happy to have received your comments last chapter! It always makes my day when I get your impressions on my story... anyway, I've started on the Edolas Arc. After _this_ chapter and the next one, we're going to get started on said Arc! Please be some more patient. I know I ask a lot of you, but I want to do this story right.**

 **Anyhow, hope you enjoy this new chapter!**

* * *

"Watch out!"

The Ice Make mage barely had the time to raise a wall, before the gigantic ball of fire hit it with full force. He stood his ground for a second, before being blown away by the strength of the spell.

He hit the nearest tree with a groan.

"Gray! I'm so sorry!" Kaelys slapped her hands over her mouth in frozen horror, her Book hitting the ground without a sound. "No no no no no…"

 _'Kaelys, breath!'_

 **'Get a grip, kid'**

"But I hurt him..." She took a step back. Then another. "I promised I wouldn't… but I hurt him… I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…"

"Lys!" exclaimed the black-haired boy, getting back to his feet. "Lys, come on, calm down! You didn't hurt me, alright?"

But she wasn't listening to him, shaking her head and muttering under her breath about broken promises.

He sweatdropped a little, before jogging back to her and grabbing her shoulders to force her to look at him.

"Hey, hey! I'm okay, see?" The girl finally focused some of her attention on him. "You didn't hurt me, you didn't… break your promise, or whatever. Stop freaking out, I'm totally fine, alright?"

"I- yeah," she swallowed harshly, taking a shuddering breath. "Y-yeah, alright. But this isn't a good idea. If we keep at it, then I might not miss this time, and if you're hurt-"

"Okay, first of all..." He let her go with a small sigh. "That promise. You swore not to hurt a fellow Fairy Tail mage, right?"

"Yes." She answered, more firmly.

"Well, let's make an exception," he proposed, scratching the back of his head. "When training or sparing, it's okay if you hurt us."

"What!?"

"N-not like that!" _I guess I could have said it otherwise._ "I just mean… well, everyone gets hurt at one point or another. The flame-brain and I always fight, remember? And Erza keeps hitting us, Lucy keeps kicking us, and there are more brawls than not when at the Guild. We might hurt each other, but it's not like we're _aiming_ to do it just for the sake of it, or even consciously. Do you… get what I'm trying to say?"

"I… I think so." She had a thoughtful frown marring her features, now. "You're saying that as long as I'm not _aiming_ to hurt you... then it's okay to do so?"

"Err, yeah? Back when you were with Oración Seis, surely you must have fought with Cobra or another member, right? Well, that's the same here, you understand?"

"Oh!" her confusion suddenly vanished, and she beamed at him. "Man, you should have said it sooner! I need to hit Co- Erik a few times to get him back for… well, for being an asshole."

"As per usual?" he raised an eyebrow, now amused.

That earned a startled laugh from the girl. Ever since the Rainbow Cherry Blossom Festival, she had been much more open to showing her emotions.

"Right, his name's Erik," then recalled the Ice Make mage.

After informing the blonde of his name, well, the Soul Listening wizard had had no luck with keeping it a secret. She blurted it out the very next day, and everyone insisted on using it since, much to the man's annoyance. When he asked why they couldn't just keep calling him like before, Kaelys innocently pointed out that just as he had been Cobra of Oración Seis, he was now Erik of Fairy Tail; just like she had once been Truth of Oración Seis, and was now Kaelys of Fairy Tail.

After that, he stopped complaining as much.

"How's he doing, by the way?" Then asked the older boy. "He's been pretty pissed for the passed few days, hasn't he?"

"Well…"

The good-guy-to-be had had a rather… nasty surprised, at the end of the festival that had happened a week ago. When he asked to see Cubellios, Makarov forbade him from seeing her, saying she was still undergoing an intense recovery.

Which didn't sit well with him, obviously.

"Still pretty pissed," she cringed at the memory of the _numerous_ rotting trees in the backyard of their new house.

They had moved out three days prior with the help of the rest of the Guild, and everything had gone surprisingly smoothly. Cobra and Kaelys now had their own room, and there were still two others. One of them would soon be occupied, though, seeing as another member was coming over later that day.

"I _can_ understand why," admitted Gray, cringing too. "Anyhow, back to square one: don't worry about hurting us as long as you didn't do it for shit and giggles, alright? If you don't mean to, then you can't really be blamed for it. Kind of."

"… I can do that," she agreed, before smiling again. "Thanks, Gray."

"Anytime. Now, noticed anything wrong with your Magic?"

"Other than the fact that I simply can't control it?" she retorted, raising an eyebrow.

He swatted her behind the head for the snarky attitude, and she rolled her eyes.

"My grab is steady at first," she then said. "But as soon as I fire the spell, it's as if the link allowing me to keep it under control is severed, and it simply runs wild. I've never had such bad reactions before. I mean, I know it takes a while to learn to use new Magic once its stolen, but I never had such difficulties. Hell, I even have trouble with the Magics I've _already_ mastered!"

"Well, I don't know what else we can do," grunted the boy. "I mean, you've been experimenting with Erza and me, sparing with Natsu, meditating with Lucy and Loke, and you even returned to your training with Co- Erik. I honestly… don't know what else we can do. Levy's looking into Thief Magic, but I doubt she'll find much…"

"Maybe I simply wasn't meant to use it after all," then remarked the teen, using her telekinesis to pick up her Book. She stroked the overused cover gently. "I guess I'll have to stick with my Telekinesis after all, though it's a shame… I still need to find a second Magic, though..."

"Hey, hey, hey!" Gray waved his hand in a negative gesture. He didn't really understand what she meant by the last statement, but decided to forget about it at the moment. "Don't go giving up now! I'm sure we'll find out soon enough, we just have to keep working on it. For now, though, we've been at it for _hours._ A break might help, don't you think?"

"I _am_ getting tired," mused the purple-eyed girl, nodding. "Let's head back to the Guild for now. Who knows? Maybe something exciting will happen…"

"Like the arrival of another of your friends from Oración Seis?"

She stiffened at that, suddenly remembering about that little fact.

"Let's go!"

Before Gray could do anything, he suddenly found himself lifted from the ground with Kaelys. Using her Magic, she didn't waste any time and propelled the two of them towards the Guild, laughing as his terrified screams echoed in the distance.

* * *

.

.

"Never… again…" Gray's face turned slightly green as he crawled into the Guild.

"Sorry," grinned Kaelys.

"No… you're not _–urgh…_ "

The teen laughed as he muttered something along the lines of 'understand better the stupid salmon and his fear of transports'. Then, she noticed Lucy sitting farther away with Wendy and Carla.

"Lucy-nee!" she waved, running to them.

"Hey, Kae," Lucy smiled at her arrival, before noticing the state of the black-haired boy farther away. "Do… I want to know what happened?"

"Who knew Ice Make wizards couldn't stand heights?" shrugged innocently.

"Where are his clothes?" blinked Wendy, curious.

...

"Gah! He stripped while we were _flying_!?"

The other two girls laughed at that, and even Carla's lips twitched into a half-smile.

 **'BANG!'**

"BIG NEWS!"

The four of them, startled, turned to face the door. They had been slammed open by two other members, who seemed to have run a marathon. And, as if on cue, the bells of the city started ringing loudly. Kaelys glanced around. Lucy, Wendy, Carla, Gajeel and Juvia seemed as confused as her, and C- Erik had his hands over his ears, while hitting his head against the table. Repeatedly.

"All of those who joined last, then…" she mindlessly noticed. "Wonder what's happening, though all of the others seem pretty happy."

 _'I feel sorry for Erik'_

 **'I don't. It's funny as hell'**

There was a not-so-silent curse from the Poison Dragon Slayer, who heard them as per usual.

Suddenly, the whole Guild _exploded._ Not literally, of course, but it was as if. Cheers and music suddenly replaced the silence, and beer started to flow.

"GILDARTS~!"

"Gildarts?" echoed Lucy, as confused as her. "Who's he? I've never heard of him."

"He's Fairy Tail's strongest wizard," answered Mirajane, staring eagerly at the door.

"Wait, even stronger than Erza?" wondered the black-haired girl.

"I'm not even in his league," admitted the red-haired Knight, smiling.

"Awesome…" breathed the teen, in awe.

In the background, the Guild's party was becoming wild –wilder than all of those they had had before.

"Not that I care, but what's the celebration about?" Carla asked.

"Well, it's only natural for everyone to celebrate," replied the white-haired beauty. "He's been gone for almost three years, now."

"Three years?" repeated Wendy, startled. "What was he doing?"

"Well, there are quests more difficult than S class, called SS class," answered Erza. "But there are jobs even above those, called ten-years quests."

"T-ten-years quests?"

"Because no one has been able to complete them for more than ten years," precised Mirajane. "Gildarts went on one even more difficult, a hundred-years quest."

"N-nani!? A quest no one has completed… for a hundred years!?"

"Exactly."

"This man must be amazing," gaped Kaelys, suddenly excited. "Maybe I could copy his Magic…"

"Not with how your current control –or rather lack of-, that's for sure," replied the white cat with a scoff.

"Oh, right…" the teen instantly deflated.

 **"Magnolia will now change to Gildarts Shift! Residents, please move to the designated areas!"**

"Even so, isn't this going a little overboard?" then wondered Carla.

"What's Magnolia's 'Gildarts Shift'?" asked Lucy, curious.

"You'll know if you look outside," Erza gestured to one of the windows.

Not wasting any time, Kaelys ran to the nearest one, excited again.

"This guy must be crazy strong…" she muttered, flying so as to be at the level of the window.

 **'Fight him!'**

 _'Do you want her to die!?'_

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," she sweatdropped.

Then, the ground started shaking. Surprised, she reported her attention outside, and could only stare with her jaw hitting the floor. Outside, all of the houses and buildings were suddenly _moving._ One after the other, all of the districts of the city were lifted from the streets with metal plates that were hidden underneath, and Magnolia was suddenly, literally split in two. Lucy squeaked in terror.

"Gildarts uses Crash Magic," then informed Erza, apparently amused by their reactions. "He'll turn everything he touches into bits."

"If his mind wanders, he'll just walk straight through people's houses," added Mirajane.

"How much of an idiot is he!?" gasped the blonde, freaking out. "The whole fricking city was reconstructed with _this_ in mind!?"

"That's amazing! Isn't it, Carla?" beamed the younger Dragon Slayer.

"Yes," agreed the cat, making a face. "Amazingly _stupid."_

 _'I… can only agree'_

 **'Are you crazy? This is awesome!'**

"Look, I see him!" suddenly exclaimed Kaelys.

The man was now in view, walking as a leisure pace towards the Guild. The closer he got, and the more excited she grew. She hadn't faced a truly, amazingly strong person since Brain, and that wasn't saying much. She could feel the Magic pressure despite the distance, and it was overwhelmingly _awesome._

The whole Guild had fallen silent, staring at the doors with barely contained glee.

After minutes that felt like hours, he finally stepped in. He froze, taking a slow look around, before exhaling heavily with a tired face.

"Gildarts, fight me!" suddenly exclaimed Natsu in greeting.

"Right off the bat with that?" Elfman fell anime style.

"Welcome back," smiled Mirajane, as sweet as ever.

"So this is Gildarts…" mused Lucy, tensed.

"He… seems confused…" muttered the Thief mage, tilting her head.

"Err, excuse me, Miss," the man then looked down at the barmaid –he was two heads taller than her-. "I was pretty sure there was a Guild named Fairy Tail around here…"

"Well, that explains it," Kaelys snorted lowly.

"This is it," answered the white-haired woman without missing a beat, still smiling. "Oh, and I'm Mirajane."

"… Mira?" he finally seemed to recognize her. Then, his tired appearance shifted to one of a startled kid. "Wow, you've changed a lot! And the Guild is brand-new!"

"He… didn't notice from the outside," sweatdropped Lucy.

"Gildarts!" Natsu yelled once again, gaining his attention.

"Natsu, uh? Been a while, kid," smirked the brown-haired mage.

Natsu's smile widened, and he suddenly jumped into the air, his flaming fist aimed at the Crash wizard.

"I told you to fight me!"

Without even breaking a sweat, Gildarts caught the Dragon Slayer, spun him in his hands a few time and then threw him through the ceiling. Lucy seemed almost ready to faint, and Kaelys couldn't help but laugh softly at the sight.

Hell, even Erik seemed interested, now! And that was saying something, since he's been solely focused on destroying trees and sulking for a week.

"You ain't changed a bit, Pops," then remarked Gray.

"A Man among Men!" agreed Elfman.

"There are faces I've never seen before…" mused the man. "Things sure have changed…"

"Gildarts!"

He turned around at his name, and headed for the Master, who was sitting on the bar with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Oh, Master! Long time no see," greeted the crazy-strong mage.

"How did the job go?"

There was a moment of silence. Then, he started laughing. Kaelys flew down from her perch, wondering where this was going. He stopped laughing, rubbing the back of his head.

"No good," he finally admitted. "It's impossible for me."

At that, the rest of the Guild could only stare in shock.

"No way!"

"The one and only Gildarts…"

"Failed a quest?"

"I can't believe it."

"Even Pops couldn't handle it?"

"Knowing when to withdraw is also being a Man!"

Kaelys approached Natsu and poked his cheek. He didn't react, frozen in place due to the sheer shock of learning that his apparent Idol had failed a job.

"Hey, still alive?" she wondered, poking him again.

He didn't react, though.

"I see. Even you couldn't handle it?" sighed heavily Master.

"Sorry, this'll be bad for our reputation," apologized the Crash mage.

"No, I'm just happy you came back safe and sound," retorted Makarov, his wrinkled face breaking into a broad grin. "You're the first one I know that's ever come back from this quest alive."

Gildarts grinned once again, before yawning.

"Well! I'll head back home and get some rest," he then announced, heading out. "I'm beat. And Natsu! Come to my place later, I've brought back souvenirs! Now, pardon me."

But he was obviously not paying any attention to where he was heading, for he walked straight into a wall… or rather, through it. There was a flash of light, before a good chunk flew into pieces. And it didn't even stop him!

 _'He just walked through a wall…'_

 **'… without even noticing?'**

"Damn…" whistled lowly the teen.

While Natsu caused a ruckus, Kaelys went to the back of the Guild, where Gajeel and Co- Erik, were hidin- erm, sitting. For once, they had dropped the arrogant facades, though, bands of sweat dripping down their foreheads.

"C-crazy strong…" muttered the Iron Dragon Slayer.

"He could have wiped out the entire of Oración Seis without even _trying,"_ gasped the maroon-haired man.

"I'm torn between wanting to fight him… and going into exile so as to never face him again," admitted the black-haired girl, propping herself on the table. "And yet, as strong as he is… he barely has any control over it…"

"Thinking he could help you out?" easily guessed the pierced boy.

"Worth a shot," shrugged Erik, downing some bleach. "He-"

"Erik?"

He stiffened at the call, and instantly snapped a glare at the Master. The wrinkled man sweatdropped at the clear display of anger. Kaelys had to give him some credit, though, for he didn't back down.

"I apologize, my child-"

"Not. a. _child."_

"I have lied to you."

The Poison Dragon Slayer fell silent at that. Kaelys tilted her head, wondering where this was going.

"As soon as you joined us, I have noticed that something was… amiss, with Cubellios," pursued Makarov with a sigh. "I've at first decided to keep her in the infirmary wing because of her heavy injuries, but I soon realized that something else was wrong with her."

"Get to the point, old man," the ex-member of Oración Seis gritted his teeth, his grip tightening around his cup.

"So impatient…" grumbled the Wizard Saint, before shaking his head. "Erik… Cubellios isn't a snake."

"… what?"

Anger had left place to utter confusion, and Kaelys had to admit that she was in much the same state. Gajeel was simply watching everything unfold, raising an eyebrow while munching on his mug.

"Cubellios is actually a woman who has been cursed many years ago by an evil wizard," explained the Master. "I had to wait for her to heal, but I managed to change her back to her original form- her _human_ self. She's been unconscious ever since, but… she woke up this morning."

"W-wait! This- this isn't making any sense! Cubellios is human? It's not…" Erik trailed off, unsure of what to say. Then, his face turned blank, and he slammed his hands on the table, jumping to his feet. "Let me see her."

"I will," accepted the old man, frowning. "Though be careful, Erik. I am afraid that she holds no memory of the years she passed in the forms of a snake."

"… I see."

"Erik…" the Thief mage didn't know what to say. The agony left by the knowledge that his most precious friend didn't even remember him was clearly etched onto his features. "I..."

"Talking with her might bring back some memories," then shrugged Gajeel, still eating his mug. "You've got nothing to loose trying."

His fellow Dragon Slayer nodded in agreement and, without wasting anymore time, headed for the infirmary wing.

 **'You going too?'**

"No," the teen refused with a sigh. "The bond between Erik and Cubellios is a particular one, one that no one is allowed to intrude. Not even me."

"Kaelys dear?"

"Hm? Yeah?" she turned to the Master.

"Have you made any progress with your Thief Magic?" he asked, curious.

"None," she groaned in defeat at the reminder of her failure. "To be honest, I think it's even worst than before. The more I try to control it, and the less I manage to."

"This _is_ a problem," he admitted, stroking his mustache. "Well! Keep working hard, alright? I'm sure you'll figure something out, you're a clever child."

"I'm not a child," she huffed, before smiling. "Thank you, Master."

"Of-"

" _Master."_

The three of them froze at the deadly aura that suddenly emanated from the one and only barmaid.

"M-Mira-"

"Didn't you have some paperwork, Master?" she asked, her tone deceptively sweet.

"I-I was getting to it I SWEAR!"

And with that, he disappeared. Kaelys blinked at his sudden speed, while Mirajane returned to her usual self. Whacking Gajeel behind the head for eating yet another mug, she then returned to the bar.

 **'Hey! How about we head over to that Gildarts' place and see what he can do?'**

 _'You are NOT fighting him!'_

"If only…" she sighed wistfully. "But yeah, I'll head there, now. Hey, Erza!"

"Yes?"

"Where's Gildarts' place?" she asked, joining the red-haired swordswoman.

"Just at the outskirt of the town," she answered. "Why?"

"I was just hoping he could give me some tips for my Thief Magic," answered the teen. "His own is obviously hard to control, so maybe…"

"Well, it could work," agreed the woman with a form nod. "Just follow the path created by the Gildarts Shift, you won't miss it."

"Alright. Thanks Erza, see you later!"

With that, Kaelys took off. Running outside, she took a moment to spot the path indicated by the Knight.

"Don't you fight him!" then yelled Lucy, who had heard everything.

"I wont!" assured the teen, before grumbling to herself. "Why is everyone warning me like that…"

Then, she was gone.

* * *

The house she had reached was rather… out of shape, to say the least. But then again, Kaelys couldn't really blame the man for the lack of care. He _had_ been gone for three years, after all.

As she crossed the small bridge leading to it, though, the door slammed open and none other than Natsu ran out. His features were hardened by anger and disbelief, and he didn't even notice her as he ran passed her.

"Happy?" she called over to the cat, who was following after him. "What's gotten into him?"

"Bad memories," he simply answered, flying away. "Later, Lys!"

"Later!"

She waved him goodbye as the both of them disappeared.

"Bad memories, uh?" she lowered her hand, staring down at her forearms. She had long since gotten over the annoying cloaks, but she still covered her scars with sleeves, herself avoiding some bad memories of her own. "Don't I know the feeling…"

"Can I help you, kid?"

She jumped at the sudden voice, spinning on her heels to see Gildarts, who was standing in his doorway with his arms crossed over his chest.

"So fricking tall…" she muttered, before shaking her head. "Mister Gildarts? I'm Kaelys. I joined Fairy Tail a few weeks ago… I was wondering if you could help me?"

"Uh? Sheesh, talk about having manners," he sweatdropped, obviously not used to it. "But sure, come on in."

"Thank you."

She followed him inside, but wasted no time in admiring the accumulated dust.

"I've learned a Lost Magic more or less a year ago," she announced, going straight to the point. "But since I've copied Nirvana, I've been having some serious trouble controlling it. In fact, I can no longer use it without risking harming those around me in the process."

"And you were hoping I could help you out with control?" he raised an eyebrow.

Foy only answer, she glanced at the very obvious man-sized hole in the wall to her right. He chuckled sheepishly, before nodding.

"Alright, alright, I'll see what I can do," he agreed, taking out a dusty bottle of sake. "So, what's that Magic?"

"Thief Magic," she answered, sitting down on the nearest chair. "Basically, I can copy any Magic I want in my Book, and afterward use said Magic as my own."

"Yeah, I've heard of it before," he nodded, gulping down half of the alcohol in one go. "And you learned it under a year? That's impressive, kid."

"My name's Kaelys," she repeated. "And yes, I know that."

"Modesty isn't your forte, uh?" he snorted.

"False modesty is a form of lying, and I don't lie," she replied seriously.

 _Sheesh, she's got some issues,_ he sweatdropped internally. "Alright, let's take this outside. I doubt I'll be much help, but maybe an exterior outlook on the problem will help find it out."

Eager, she instantly headed outside, the man following without hasting his pace. He then took the lead, guiding her to the back of the house. Heading into the forest, they didn't walk for long, and arrived in a ridiculously large, utterly destroyed clearing.

"That's where I used to train my Crash Magic," he informed, sensing her confusion. "We won't risk hurting anyone here."

"Right."

She called forth her Book, and decided to try once again Natsu's Magic. Fire was always hard to control to begin with, but she had a better affinity with it than the other elements.

"Maybe you should step back," she then warned. "I don't want to risk hitting you."

"Trust me, kid," he snorted, drinking the rest of the bottle. "It's not a brat like you who's going to hurt me –no offense."

"While I acknowledge I would probably be pummeled to the ground if I tried to go up against you..." A tick mark appeared on her forehead. "I _do_ take offense to being called a brat."

A nearby rock imploded. Gildarts gaped for a second, before gulping.

"Duly noted."

 **'I think you just scared him. Good girl'**

 _'Don't start antagonizing the awfully strong wizard who could destroy us with a single touch without even trying to. Please'_

"Here I go, then," she exhaled deeply. " _Fire Dragon's roar!"_

Flames were spewed out of her mouth. However, barely half-a-second later, her control slipped and the spell was released in the wild. The fireball instantly grew, flying around like crazy, before finally aiming… for Gildarts.

"Shit! Get away!" she cursed, trying in vain to stop it.

The man didn't even seem worried, though. Raising his hand, he simply caught the ball of fire –which was three times his size, mind you- and extinguished it without breaking a sweat.

"… whoa."

"That was Natsu's, wasn't it?" he grinned at her, not phased in the slightest. "Hey, how many Magics have you copied in that Book of yours?"

"Uh? Err, wait a second…" she started checking the pages. "Co- Erik's Sound Magic, Midnight's Reflector, Hoteye's Earth, Racer's Speed, Brain's Archive, Jellal's Heavenly Body, Gray's Ice Make, Natsu's Fire Dragon Slaying, Erza's Knight Requip, Wendy's Sky Dragon Slaying… there were also Air, Snow, Doll Make, and Nirvana, but I erased those."

"That's quite a lot," the man remarked. "I'm surprised Erza let you copy hers, though."

"Actually… well, I only joined a few weeks ago, because I was first part of the criminal Guild Oración Seis. We fucked shit up, tried to take over Fiore by destroying all of the legal Guilds using a lost magical weapon called Nirvana, but Fairy Tail and some other Guilds formed an Alliance to stop us. We almost beat them, and that's when I copied everyone's Magic. It somehow backfired on us, though, and it ended up with me temporarily joining the good guys to beat my former Master, who was possessed by his second personality. I killed him while the others destroyed Nirvana, and then Lucy stopped me from killing myself and brought me back to Fairy Tail. I'm now a member of Fairy Tail for the next five years, after which I'll be free of all criminal charges and allowed to come and go as I please."

…

…

…

"… what."

"Ask Master."

"… I think I'll do that. But anyway!" the Crash mage shook himself out of his stunned state, extending his hand to her. "Mind if I take a look?"

She hesitated for a second, before handing over her Book. He was careful when handling it, much to her relief, and took a minute to examine the pages.

"I think I know what's going on," he then gave it back.

"Really!?"

"Your control isn't the problem," Gildarts assured. "And it's not the Magics either. I believe it's the Book itself. You copied a _lot_ of Magics, and most are extremely strong ones. Hell, I know what Nirvana is, and I'm surprised copying it's Reversal Magic didn't simply kill you. I guess the magical pressure simply took its toll on the receptacle of your Thief abilities. It's an ordinary book, after all."

"So, I just need to change my Book?" she blinked, taken aback at the simplicity of the solution.

"I think so?" he scratched the back of his head. "I've never encountered one using Thief Magic, so I can't guarantee anything, but one using Holder Magic usually also has a Magic Item to use it, just like Cana's cards and the Celestial Keys. Since your book is a none-magical item…"

"It… actually makes sense," she looked down at her Book. "But where can I find magical books?"

"… that might be the harder part," admitted the wizard. "Most have been destroyed because of their unique abilities that more often than not caused some serious trouble, and the last few are heavily guarded, or already in use, or simply out of reach. I'm afraid I can't help much on that front."

"No worries," she shook her head, before beaming at him. "Thanks a lot, Mister Gildarts! Oh! I need to tell Lucy, and Levy too!"

Requiping away her Book, she then rose from the ground. The man gaped as she simply started floating above his head. Waving happily, she then flew away and headed back to the Guild, impatient to inform the others of Gildarts' breakthrough.

* * *

.

.

"It's the Book!"

Lucy let out a squeak of terror as Kaelys literally dropped from the sky. She had entered by one of the windows at the upper floor, and hadn't care with using the stairs.

"It's the Book!" the teen repeated, landing next to her, excited. "I simply need to find a magical one, and I'll be able to use my Thief Magic again!"

"W-what? How come?"

"Well, I went to ask Gildarts for help, and he told me that the one I was using had been damaged by the… err..."

 _'Magical pressure'_

"Yes, thank you, the magical pressure," explained the purple-eyed girl. "So anyway, its as if one of your keys got broken. You wouldn't be able to use it, then, right?"

"R-right," the blonde confirmed, stroking said keys. "So what you're saying… is that you simply need another book?"

"A _magical_ one," precised the teen. "If I just change it to a normal one, then it'll last for another while, but I'll end up with the same problem."

"Magical Books are really rare, though."

"Gah!"

Both girls jumped at the sudden appearance of Corvus, who grinned at them.

"Yo!"

"Stop scaring me like that!" whined the Celestial Mage.

"Hey, Corvus!" smiled Kaelys in greeting. "So, what did you say?"

"Magical Books are really rare as of today," he repeated, smiling back with a red hue covering his cheeks. "And the knowledge of their location has been lost to everyone, even to us, Spirits. The only ones left are currently in the possession of the royal family, and those that aren't, in fact, those you're searching for."

"What do you mean?"

He opened his mouth to answer… before closing it with a wince.

"I'm not supposed to talk about them," he then answered apologetically. "You see, those that are still hidden are _evil._ They actually contain demons of Zeref, and you would have to make a contract with one to be able to use it, and even mentioning them is forbidden since if you get your hands on it, then they'll corrupt your mind and drive you insane, killing you from the ins- _aaaand_ I just blurted this all out, haven't I."

 **'He's so stupid'**

 _'I concur'_

"Yup!" laughed Kaelys, patting his shoulder. "Thanks for the tip, Corvus!"

"No, no, no!" he protested. "Don't you dare, Kae! Didn't you hear a single word I've just said? It's _Dark_ Magic, you don't want to mess with this!"

Her cheerfulness didn't dim, though, and she simply smiled at him once more.

"Silly Corvus," she replied, shaking her head. "Any Magic can become a Dark one if it's used for evil deeds. It's just a matter of perspectives! If I use it so as to be able to protect my friends, then where's the darkness in that?"

There was a moment of silence that followed as both Corvus and Lucy stared at her, mouth agape.

"I… have nothing to say against that," finally admitted the Crow. "Anyway! I should head back and hide. Leo's going to have my head when he finds out what I just told you-"

"A silver platter would be well assorted with your hair, wouldn't you agree?"

"Shit!"

The Leader of the Zodiac had appeared just behind him, his anger could be felt from a mile away. Arms crossed over his chest, he offered a smile that promised suffering to the Elder Spirit.

"… mommy…" with that, Corvus disappeared.

"GET BACK HERE YOU STUPID, BABBLING IDIOT!" Loke instantly went after him.

The two girls stared at the now empty spots for a second, before sharing a laugh.

"Anyhow, let's go back home for now," then proposed the blonde. "Erik won't be coming back 'til late since he's still with Cubellios, and I want the room to be ready for when our new roommate joins us."

"Oh, right!" suddenly remembered Kaelys, forgetting all about the matters concerning her Book. "Let's go, let's go!"

Lucy laughed once again at her newly fond eagerness, before heading out with the excited teen. As they made their way outside, though, Kaelys felt the weight of a stare on her back. Stopping in her tracks, she glanced around the Guild. Mirajane was chatting with Team Shadow Gear, Gajeel was hanging out with Gray and Elfman, Erza was enjoying a slice of cake with Wendy and Carla… In fact, everyone was occupied.

"Weird…" she muttered.

 _'Look up'_

Blinking, she did as told, and was surprised to find a green-haired man staring down at her from the second floor. There were two others with him, but she couldn't remember talking to them, or even seeing them before.

She held his gaze for a moment, before he nodded in silent greeting and reported his attention to his companions.

"Kae?"

"Coming, Lucy-nee!"

Forgetting about the strange encounter, she ran to catch up to the Celestial mage.

* * *

When they arrived home, it was only to find two Rune Knights at the door. As soon as they saw the girls, they saluted them and headed away without a word.

"They must have brought the new member and expect them to lash out or something," mused Lucy.

"Chickens," snorted Kaelys.

"Be nice," chided the blonde, though the shit-eating grin splitting her face was all but nice.

When they entered, though, they were surprised to find Cobra already there. He seemed relaxed, contrarily to the attitude he had been sporting for the passed few days, and Kaelys could only take it that all went well with Cubellios. Or at least, as well as it could have gone.

"Sunshine, Loudmouth," he greeted, a glass full of poisoned fumes in his hand. "Guess who just joined us?"

A small snore followed his question, and Kaelys gaped as her eyes landed on the one and only Midnight, who was sleeping on his flying carpet as per usual.

"MIDNIGHT!"

The teen jumped on the poor boy. Barely awoken, he couldn't do a thing as they both hit the floor with a 'THUD'. The newcomer could only stare in mild confusion –and some amusement- as Kaelys hugged him tightly. Understanding she wouldn't let him go anytime soon, he simply patted her head in greeting.

"You might want to get comfortable," proposed Erik, downing his drink. "I think she'll stay there for a while."

"Kae, I know you're happy to see him, but let the poor boy breathe," Lucy rolled her eyes. "Come on, get up."

"Don't wanna!" she whined, holding him even tighter. "Last I've heard of him… well, I can't really remember, but it wasn't fun!"

"… you haven't change at all," remarked simply the boy in his usual bland voice.

"You'd be surprised," muttered the Dragon Slayer.

A minute later, the teen finally agreed to let him get up. As soon as he took place on his carpet, though, she sat next to him and clung to his arm.

"I don't remember you being so clingy when I arrived," pointed out Erik.

"That's 'cause you're an ass," she deadpanned. "I prefer Midnight. _He_ hasn't thrown me in a volcano that was about to erupt."

"That was only _once_!"

"It was one time too many!"

"If you wanna fight, bring it outside!" Lucy then intervened firmly. "I don't want to have to buy any more furniture for _at least_ a month, you hear me? I am _not_ dealing with the perverted salesman again."

Kaelys finally let go of her newly returned friend, and headed outside with the man for a little brawl that would hopefully not destroy too much of the backyard.

...

...

...

"… a month?" then wondered quietly Midnight, slightly raising an eyebrow.

"To be fair, I don't trust these two not to break anything before the end of this week," she made a face. Then, she froze, as if remembering something. "Oh, right! I'm Lucy, by the way. I'm 'the one in charge'," she rolled her eyes at the quoting. "But honestly, it's not like I could do much. You could kill me in the following second if you really wanted too, and I wouldn't even have the time to scream."

"Yet you're not afraid," remarked the Reflector mage in a low tone.

"Ooh, trust me, I'm scared shitless," she waved her hand as if swatting a fly. "But hey, it was the same as with the other two. Today, though? I love Kaelys like a sister, and Cobr- _Erik_ might be a jerk, but he's still _somewhat_ decent-"

 _"I heard that!"_

 _"Love you too, Lucy-nee!"_

"And I have no doubt that with some time, we'll both be able to get along with each other too," concluded the Celestial mage with a genuine smile.

"… I understand why Truth likes you," finally said the boy, leaning back onto his carpet and closing his eyes. "I'm surprised Cobra gave you his name, too. It's not something he likes to share."

"Well, as Kaelys oh-so-well pointed out: he's no longer Cobra of Oración Seis, but Erik of Fairy Tail, just like she once was Truth to you guys. And it's the same for you, you know? Everyone's willing to give you guys a chance. It all depends on whether or not you're ready to do the same," she retorted, before heading towards the kitchen. "Anyway, is there anything in particular that you like to eat? Erik got his poison, and Kaelys likes spicy food, so- _WHAT HAPPENED TO MY KITCHEN!?"_

Midnight cringed at the loudness of her voice. She was even louder than Angel, and that was saying something.

"I tried to make some soup," he then answered, yawning.

"You _burned_ the _water!?"_

"… it didn't work out exactly as planned," he relented.

 _"_ But why the _hell_ have you used a _frying pan_ to make _soup!?"_

The mage rubbed his ears, already dreading his choice. At least, when he was in his cell, it was silent and peaceful and he could sleep all he wanted.

 _But it was dirty,_ he then remembered with an unnoticeable shiver. _And cramped, cold, and I was alone and trapped and-_

 _It was just like in the Tower._

He shook his head sharply, the unsavory memories chasing his sleepiness away. No longer tired, he got back on his feet, intending to join the other two in the backyard. Some fresh air would do him some good.

 _Still, though,_ he could still hear the blonde ranting angrily in the background. _I guess it could have been worse._

* * *

"You're banned from the kitchen."

"… fair enough."

Lucy sighed heavily as Erik snorted and Kaelys coughed to hide a laugh. Seriously, were all of the ex-criminals lacking in the basic knowledge of cooking? Her poor kitchen wouldn't survive another blast like that one.

"Anyway," she finally gave in. "Here's some belladonna chicken for Erik…"

"Nice."

"Spicy ribs for Kae…"

"Thank you!"

"And some soba for you!"

Midnight blinked as she placed the bowl before him. He had never tried soba before, but it couldn't really hurt… Grabbing his chopsticks, he took a first bite out of the meal. After a few moments of chewing, his usually blank face softened somewhat.

"… it's good."

"Good to hear!" beamed the blonde, taking her own seat. "Itadakimasu!"

Kaelys repeated cheerfully, while the other two muttered it under their breaths. As they all dug into their food, though, the black-haired girl remembered what she wanted to ask earlier.

"Hey, Midnight? Do you know what happened to Angel, Racer and Hoteye?" she asked, curious.

He nodded while swallowing.

"Angel joined Blue Pegasus," he informed. "She wanted to see you again, but…" he glanced at Lucy. "She didn't want her presence to cause unnecessary trouble."

"Hoteye and Racer joined Lamia Scale," added Erik, having read his thoughts. "Hoteye because he really hit it off with that wannabe Wizard Saint, and Racer because he wanted a rematch on the Ice Make wizard."

"Wasn't it Gray that defeated him, though?" recalled Lucy, surprised. "I would have thought he would want a rematch or something."

"I think he got his eyes on the pink-haired chick," shrugged the Dragon Slayer. "But then again, it's not really our problem, is it? He was a pain in the ass anyway."

"Aww, is the big bad Erik scared of showing he has feelings?" taunted Kaelys.

"I ain't scared of anything-"

"Is what he'd like to say," cut the teen with a scoff. "We all know you're scared of sp-"

He practically jumped over the table, tackling her to the floor. Midnight could only watch as they wrestled like madmen, before glancing to his right, where Lucy was eating without a care in the world about the fight.

 _She's way too used to this._

"… I don't remember them acting like such…"

"Kids?" suggested Lucy. "You get used to it." She offered him a plate full of food. "Seconds?"

He looked back to where the two where fighting, then at Lucy's awfully calm demeanor, before finally shrugging and accepting the plate.

"Lucy… was it?" he then remembered.

"Yes?"

"My name… is Macbeth."

Instantly, the other idiots stopped mid-fight, gaping at him.

"I can't believe you already told her!"

"I can't believe he's called like _that!"_

Midnight, or rather Macbeth, simply shrugged without much of a care, enjoying more of his soba. After all, what was the problem? He was surrounded by two of his… friends? Not _exactly._ Almost, though. Companions of misfortune? Yeah, more like it. And the blonde mage seemed to be an ally. Or at least enough of one if _Cobra,_ of all people, decided to trust her. Plus, from what he understood, he kind of owed her for getting him out of jail, so that was a plus in his books.

 _As long as she doesn't scream just for the hell of it-_

"GAAAAH! MY KITCHEN! WHY IS IT ON _FIRE!?"_

 _… spoke too soon, I guess._

* * *

 **Alright, so Midnight now joined the party! I know it might seems OOC, but I want to have some fun exploring other sides of the different members of Oración Seis. Also, I did mention that the other members were allowed to join either Fairy Tail, Blue Pegasus or Lamia Scale. So, of course they wouldn't ALL join Fairy Tail. That would fuck shit up waaay too much. I apologize to those who were looking forward for another clash between Angel and Lucy, but I don't want to get stuck in so much drama as of yet. It'll come soon enough, though.**

 **As for the Book and the Second Magic _needed..._ well, the case of the Book was explained. It truly is what's stopping her from using her Magic rightfully. At first, since it was brand new and she didn't have much strong Magics, it was okay. But! With how much she copied -and mainly Nirvana-, it really damaged it. As for why she needs a Second Magic, that will be explained in two chapters. I think. But it IS explained, don't worry!**

 **Hope you liked it, I'm looking forward to your reviews! Akuma, over and out!**


	18. Deal With The Devil

**Hey, I'm already back! So, I'm a tiny bit disapointed since I didn't get any review except for one on the last chapter, and I was actually expecting some reactions. However, no trouble! I don't like holding chapters hostages and actually _asking_ for reviews. While I've done it on some of my other stories _before,_ I now feel like it's a total lack of respect towards you, our readers. **

**Anyhow, I just hope you'll like this one enough to write something back. And if not... well, whatever! I'll just keep my promise and post each time I finish a new chapter. Do enjoy!**

 **PS: This is one of my longest chapters as of yet.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

"Ne, Lucy-nee?"

"Hmm?"

"How long have I been in Fairy Tail?"

"A little more than a month by now, I think," answered the girl. "Why?"

"I don't know. It just feels like I've been here for _ages…"_

"Well, a lot _has_ happened since you joined," chuckled the blonde mage. "It's been crazy since I joined too, and it hasn't even been a year yet!"

A soft smile stretched her lips as memories flood her mind. She remembered her arrival at Hargeon, her first meeting with Natsu, her arrival at the Guild…

 _She's right, it feels as though I've been here for years, and yet…_

She couldn't stop her thoughts from reaching her father's situation. Was he alright? Was he still working? She hadn't heard of him since she went to rescue him, just before the Nirvana affair.

 _He must be fine,_ she finally shrugged. _Not like it's my place to care._

"So, an heiress, uh? Never thought you had it in you."

"Crap!" her exclamation earned an annoying laugh from the Poison Dragon Slayer. "Erik! Stop _doing_ that!"

"No can do, Sunshine," he retorted, his shit-eating grin revealing his sharp fangs.

"What, can't control your own Magic?" she couldn't help but snap.

His grin lessened somewhat, and she instantly knew she had hit a sore spot.

"Erik-"

"If I knew how, do you think I'd bother listening to everyone?" he grunted, leaning back in the couch. "You have no idea what I can hear sometimes and trust me, _you don't want to know."_

She stared at him for a second, guilt for having hurt him filling her.

"You didn't _hurt_ me!" he growled. "I- _oof!"_

Kaelys laughed as he fell off the couch and landed on the floor, pushed down because of the pillow she had just thrown at him.

"You brat…" his eye twitched violently. "Give me _one_ good reason to not _rip you apart."_

"… because you love me too much to do any actual damage?" she attempted with a nervous chuckle.

"PREPARE TO DIE!"

As he launched himself at her, though, another pillow hit him square in the face, sending him rolling back onto the carpet. Both girls stared for a second, surprised, before snapping their heads at Macbeth. He was still sitting on his floating carpet and, had it not been for his right eye that was cracked open, none would have been able to guess that he had been the one who had thrown the projectile.

"Why you-"

"You know she's right, don't be a sore looser," simply snorted the black-haired boy.

The man cursed under his breath, muttering between his teeth as he left the room, hands roughly shoved into his pockets. Lucy and Kaelys exchanged a look, before hiding their smiles while reporting their attention elsewhere.

 _He's such a tsundere…_

"I HEARD THAT!"

* * *

.

.

Kaelys took the time to look around the Guild. It wasn't as lively without Natsu and Gray. The two boys had been taken on a mission with Erza, and Lucy had declined when the woman had offered to her and Kaelys to come with them. The blonde was too scared of leaving the other two members of Oración Seis alone and come back to find the house burned to the ground.

 _'_ _Which is a legitimate fear, I believe'_

 **'** **She's overreacting'**

 _"BOOM!"_

"Shit!"

"Uh-oh."

"OUT OF MY KITCHEN!" Mira kicked both ex-criminals out without a care.

 **'…** **or not'**

The black-haired teen chuckled softly, while Lucy sighed heavily.

"I'll take them back home before Mira kills them," she announced, getting back on her feet. "You want to come?"

"… I think I'll head for the library instead," answered the teen, thoughtful. "Find some information for my new Book. Maybe I'll find the location of one, or something…"

For a moment, Lucy wondered whether or not to let her be. What Corvus had said about the magical books… it had scared her, and even more so when knowing about the teen's sudden interest for them. While Kaelys had made a point concerning the nature of Magic, Demons themselves were still personified _evil_.

"Alright," she finally gave in. "Don't cause too much trouble!"

"As if, that's Natsu's job," snorted the girl.

The blonde laughed at that, before heading away. Grabbing the two boys by their collars, she then dragged them out of the Guild, muttering under her breath about why she believed leaving them to Mira was a good idea in the first place. Shaking her head, Kaelys then made her way to the library, in the back.

* * *

 **'** **So what, back to square one?'**

 _'_ _It's not like she has much of a choice. If she keeps using her normal Book, she'll end up hurting someone –if not herself- or destroying it altogether. And destroying-'_

 **'** **Still, Demons? I'm not usually the voice of conscious, but I can say this: it's a BAD IDEA!'**

"And the only one we have, too," replied the Thief mage.

She entered the library, taking a moment to enjoy the sight. It was gigantic, enlightened by the windows higher on the walls, and there were books _everywhere._

"Been a while since I last read something for fun," she mused, closing the door.

 _'_ _Been a while since you had time to yourself period'_

"Fair enough."

Roaming through the numerous bookshelves, she took a moment to enjoy the silence. It was a calm one, a peaceful one, nothing like the isolation from her cell, and it put her heart at ease. While she truly enjoyed the energy of the Guild, it was far from the atmosphere that reigned upon Oración Seis and the asylum. The passed three, almost four years of her life had been nothing but solitude. So, getting used to the happy-go-lucky attitude and the parties and the sheer _loudness…_ well, let's just say that Kaelys had a harder time on certain days.

 **'** **Alright, stop wasting time and start looking already!'**

"Sheesh, so impatient," she grunted, however obeying.

It took her a few minutes before finally finding the section she was looking for, wondering it Levy had taken the time to organize the library. She couldn't really see the Master, or anyone else for that matter, taking the time to do it. However, she soon came to realize that she wouldn't find what she was looking for in there. If Corvus was right and those books were considered 'evil', then no way would the Master leave those in the library, where anyone could have easy access to.

"What a pain…" she muttered, falling on one of the nearest chairs. "What can I do now? I've got no lead whatsoever, and no way is Corvus going to tell me anything else…"

 **'** **I dunno, why don't you try seduc-'**

 _'_ _NO!'_

"... what?"

"Might that be what you are looking for?"

Tensing, the teen jumped to her feet to face the newcomer, but relaxed when she realized it was merely one of her guildmates. Who it was, though, she couldn't really tell. His green-hair was familiar, but other than that…

 **'** **Isn't that the weirdo who as staring creepily at you the other day?'**

"My name is Freed," he greeted, extending to her a book. "I believe you are searching for this?"

Relaxing, the teen grabbed the book and checked it over. There was no title, but flipping through a few pages told her enough: it had information, or at least some that might help somehow.

"Thank you," she smiled at him. "Have we met before? I don't really remember everyone… I'm Kaelys, by the way! Nice to meet you, Mister!"

"M-Mister…?" He blinked, before shaking his head with a mild chuckle. "But I am merely a few years older, please don't bother yourself with formalities. And it is nice to finally meet your acquaintance too, Kaelys."

 _'_ _He seems like a true gentleman'_

 **'** **I don't like him'**

"You don't like anyone," snorted the teen under her breath.

 **'** **How'd he know what book you were looking for anyway?'**

"That… is a good point. Ne, err… Fred? No, that's not it…"

"Freed."

"Thank you. So yes, Freed, erm… how'd you know that was the book I needed?" she asked, curious.

 **'** **Curious!? You should be more wary!'**

 _'_ _Ooh, don't start that shit again'_

"I couldn't help but overhear you talking with Miss Lucy the other day," he answered, taking place in another chair.

 **'** **Meaning he was eavesdropping'**

"Oh, so you know I'm looking for a new Book," she understood. "Would you know where I can find one?"

 _'_ _Sweetie, how could he possibly know that?'_

"As a matter of fact, I do."

 _'…_ _shutting up right now'_

An excited grin stretched her lips as she returned to her previous seat.

"Really? Where is it?"

For only answer, he pulled out a scroll from his coat. Unraveling it, he then placed it on the small table between the two of them, revealing its contents to the girl.

"My team and I are going on this mission," he then informed. "It asks for a team of wizards to get rid of the monsters hidden in the forest. We did our research, and came to the conclusion that those monsters are actually controlled by one of the Books you are apparently looking for."

"… and why are you telling me all of this?"

The green-haired mage suddenly realized that her attitude had changed. Her postured had straightened, her features smoothed in an emotionless mask, and an almost animal-like glint had appeared in her dimmed eyes.

 _Must be the double personality,_ he easily guessed.

"Our team is only consisting of three members," he then answered. "We are afraid it will not be enough to accomplish the mission, hence why we are asking for your help."

"Why me?" she countered. "There are many more mages in Fairy Tail, and myself am quite… handicapped by my second magic, at the moment. I joined a little more than a month ago, and you don't know me just like I don't know any of you."

"Because you would be able to keep the Book afterward to use it as your own," he replied, raising an eyebrow. "Is that not what you want?"

"Yes, but it isn't what I have asked for."

They held each other's gazes for a moment, none backing down. Then, with an heavy sigh, Freed leaned back in his seat, barely even blinking.

"To stop the monsters would mean to form a contract with the demon within the Book of Zeref. Myself am already in possession of another form of Dark Magic, hence why I am an unsuitable vessel," he explained. "The same can be said of my teammates, seeing as they do not wish for the demon's power in the first place. We do not dare to ask any of our fellow guildmates because we are afraid that, were they to accept, they would end up killing themselves because of the contract."

"So you do not care of my fate?"

At that, his traits darkened slightly, and his eyes narrowed.

"Do not make such assumptions," his tone was harsher. "We may not know each other, but Fairy Tail is family. My team and I have… made a mistake, and while we were forgiven for it, there are still some consequences that can never be forgotten. We will not make that same mistake again. We are asking _you_ because we believe that you, and you alone, would be able to handle the contract. You desire its power, do you not? That alone places you as step ahead of all others."

"… and the other reason?"

Finally, his features softened somewhat.

"Because of what you said that day."

::

 _"_ _No, no, no!" he protested. "Don't you dare, Kae! Didn't you hear a single word I've just said? It's Dark Magic, you don't want to mess with this!"_

 _Her cheerfulness didn't dim, though, and she simply smiled at him once more._

 _"_ _Silly Corvus," she replied, shaking her head. "Any Magic can become a Dark one if it's used for evil deeds. It's just a matter of perspectives! If I use it so as to be able to protect my friends, then where's the darkness in that?"_

::

"You are strong of heart, and that enough is the proof that, no matter what, you will always have the upper hand on the demon you wish to be contracted with," pursued the wizard. "That, and also because… well, I do believe your mind wouldn't be broken so easily, am I right?"

 _After all, you can't break what's already broken,_ he added mentally.

"I'm not… the sanest person in this world," she relented. "While I am nowhere near crazy, I can admit that I possess a rather… volatile, mind. One that would be hard for the demon to control, is what you're trying to say."

"Exactly. Trust me, we would not ask this of you if we believed you unable to do it," he assured, an hand over his heart and expression serious.

"… I understand. To resume everything: I go on this mission with you and the other two members of your team. While you take care of the monsters, myself find the Book, and form a contract with the Demon. After what, I can keep the Book and we all come back here, mission accomplished. Would that be right? And of course, it would also..." she trailed off, but he nodded in understanding.

"Yes."

"Then… I accept. However, I have two more questions."

He nodded again, and she bit her lower lip, suddenly switching back to her normal persona.

"Can anyone else come with us? Or will it only be the four of us?"

"I would advice against inviting Miss Lucy along," he instantly replied. "Dark Magic is the very core of our destination. Her own Magic is the literal opposite, and she would find herself unable to use it, thus putting her in great danger. Also, a smaller party would be preferable. The more mages enter the forest, the easier it will be for them to find us."

"I see. But I was also wondering… does the Master knows about this mission?" she looked down, her grip tight on the book on her lap. "I may be young, but I'm not stupid. I know forming a contract with a Demon of that Zeref dude is dangerous, maybe even forbidden. I don't mind the danger, but the Master should be aware of what is about to be done. It's his Guild, after all. Accepting a Demon within its walls should be his decision."

"Wise words, dear child, wise words indeed."

 **'** **Holy shit, the dwarf's here!'**

 _'_ _Was he listening all along?'_

Kaelys and Freed raised their heads, only to find Makarov sitting on top of one of the bookshelves, staring down at them with a grave expression. He jumped down, landing on the table with a flip.

"I must admit, I am wary of this turn of events," he admitted, stroking his mustache. "However, I understand that asking you to give up on a part of your Magic isn't fair on my part and, while having one of my children contracted with a Demon of Zeref honestly worries me, I also know that you have the strength to handle it. I trust you, Kaelys, and I would rather you have control over that beast than some random dark mage that would use it for their evil deeds. As of right now, it is not only a request, but also a formal mission issued by myself: win over that Demon, and become its vessel so that he can no longer do harm."

Determination slowly settled in her purple eyes.

"So fear not, and go," he concluded. "And know that you will be welcomed back home with open arms, no matter _what_ is the outcome of this mission. That, I can assure you."

 **'"** **No matter the outcome of this mission", uh?'**

 _'_ _He's giving her a chance to refuse at the last minute'_

"Thank you, Master," she bowed her head, before turning to Freed. "When are we leaving?"

"Tomorrow. Come meet us at the station at noon," he answered.

She nodded, before getting back on her feet. Offering a small wave, she then headed out. She had to tell Lucy and the other two of this development.

* * *

"Is it truly a good idea, Master?" wondered the green-haired mage as soon as she was out. "While her already volatile mind _can_ offer a suitable vessel for the Demon, it also might turn on us and instead fully plunge her in madness."

"It is a gamble we must take, I fear," the wrinkled man suddenly seemed much, much older. "She is going to get her hands on one of those blasted Books, whether we like it or not, and I'd rather she do it with one we know what to expect of. Plus, it's not like we have much of a choice."

"Why not simply ask her to stop using her Thief Magic?"

"Would _you_ be able to fully erase your second Magic of existence if you were told to?" replied the Master, raising an eyebrow.

"… I understand. But still, why us? She would surely feel safer with Team Natsu, or-"

"At the rate it is going, I fear Team Natsu will soon be dissolved," admitted the Master. "And I want her to open up to the other members of the Guild. She's starting to do so, but maybe one more push might help."

"But why _us?"_ Freed stressed for an answer.

At that, the little men hit him over the head with his staff.

Hard.

"Because she's not the only one who needs to find her place in this Guild," retorted Makarov as Freed rubbed the sore spot with a wince. "You, Bickslow and Evergreen have been isolating yourselves since that incident with the Battle of Fairy Tail, and I won't have any of my children unhappy, ya hear me brat?"

"Hai, hai…" he cringed.

Nodding, the Master however soon lost his forming grin as his eyes reported themselves on the door through which Kaelys had left. Even though he was worried for the young girl, he also knew that she was strong. If there was one person in this world who would be able to contract with a Demon of Zeref, it was her.

 _And I'd rather trust her with this than the Magic Council. God knows they'd only cause more trouble._

And of course, it's not like they had a choice to begin with. While Kaelys was aware of her rather... precarious, situation, he had deemed better not to inform anyone else at the moment. If she hadn't, then it was her choice.

 _Still, though,_ he sighed intrnally. _I do hope everything will work out._

* * *

Lucy hadn't been happy. Cobra hadn't been happy. Corvus hadn't been happy. Loke hadn't been happy. Hell, no one seemed to be happy. Only Macbeth didn't throw a tantrum, but he had stayed awake to glare, and _that_ had been scary enough in itself. In the end, though, it's not like they could do anything against it. After all, the girl was stubborn, if nothing else. Plus, it was an official mission from the Master, so they didn't have their word to say in this matter.

The next morning, everyone had been rather gloomy. Kaelys couldn't help but feel like they were going to start organizing her funerals as soon as she left.

"Cheer up, guys!" she said as they headed toward the train station. "It's not like I'm going to die or anything, you know? I mean, I _might_ , but I surely won't, right?"

That _didn't_ cheer them up in the slightest.

When they finally reached the train station, she instantly spotted the green hair of the man from yesterday. He raised an eyebrow at the sight of the other five following her, but offered a bow in greeting nowadays.

"They're not coming, they just wanted to see me off," then assured the teen.

"I see. Well, if you are quite ready to go-"

"Freed."

The gentleman stiffened at the call, tilting his head to face the Celestial mage. She lacked her usually cheerful expression, and her features were marred by a worried frown.

"Just… bring her back, alright?" the grip on her arms tightened.

"I swear I will," he answered, serious.

"We'll hold you to that," nodded Loke, placing an hand on Lucy's shoulder.

"Maa, you worry too much!" Kaelys however beamed at them, totally oblivious. She then grabbed Freed's hand, pulling him towards the train. "Let's go, let's go!"

The prospect of having once again control over her Second Magic greatly overcame the discomfort that she felt at leaving her friends behind, making her completely forget that she was about to go off on a mission in the middle of nowhere with three people she knew nothing of.

She and her new companion were both on board a few seconds later. As if on cue, steam started escaping the chimney as the wheels slowly but surely started turning, a voice farther in the distance announcing the departure of the train.

Kaelys stood by the door, hanging to the frame so as not to fall off, and waving at them with a childish grin.

"I'll be back, okay? I promise!" she waved at them.

At that, the blonde couldn't help but smile back, waving until they had fully left the station. As soon as they were out of sight, though, the smile fell.

"Come on, Sunshine," Erik nudged her, already heading back to the house. "There's not point in staying any longer."

The blonde stared for a moment longer while Macbeth followed after his friend, arms crossed behind his head as he stifled a yawn.

"Lucy?" Loke snapped her out of her thoughts.

"She has no idea," the Celestial maiden looked down, clenching her fist. "She's going to try and contract with a _Demon,_ Loke, and yet she's still smiling as if it was the most natural thing in the world… as if there wasn't a risk that she'd die while trying…"

"Kaelys is strong, Lucy," retorted the Leader of the Zodiac, grabbing her by the shoulders. "If there is someone in this world who'd be able to handle contracting with a Demon, it's her. And honestly? I think the Demon is the one who'll have a hard time if it agrees to a contract."

That earned a half-smile from his friend. It wasn't the best, but it was better than what he expected. So, gently pushing her ahead, he returned to his cheery attitude and started flirting. After a minute or so, his efforts finally managed to divert her mind from the teen.

 _Let's just hope Kae will be back before Lucy looses it and goes after her._

* * *

When the train station fully disappeared from view, Kaelys finally headed back inside, where the green-haired man was patiently waiting for her.

"Shoot, what's his name?" she mumbled. "Greg? No… Fry? No, no…"

"My name is Freed," he informed, patient. He then stopped next to one of the compartments. "The others are inside. Come on in."

Curious to see what her temporary teammates looked like, the teen did as told and opened the door. Going in, she was greeted by the sight of a brown-haired woman hitting a knight-like man with her purse, while he laughed like a madman. When she entered, they both froze. A moment later, the woman was back on her seat, a fan hiding the lower half of her face.

"Bickslow, Evergreen, this is Kaelys," presented the Dark Écriture mage, taking his seat. "Kaelys, these are my friends, Bickslow and Evergreen."

Instantly, her muscles tensed, excitement dying down.

She didn't know them.

 _She was along with people she didn't know, not a single familiar face in sight._

"… hi." Her eyes downcast, she hoped things would go smoothly.

 **'** **The girl looks like a bitch, and the guy is obviously an idiot'**

 _'_ _Would you stop judging already?'_

"Hey, hey, no need to act all shy!" However grinned the knight guy –Bickslow, right. "I've seen you hanging around with the others at the Guild without trouble!"

"That's because I know them," she replied bluntly, unable to stop herself. "I don't know you guys, so its awkward."

"But you knew you would be working with us, didn't you?" sniffed somewhat derisively Evergreen.

"I forgot."

The other three sweatdropped at that. Then, the woman sighed heavily, putting away her fan. There was a startled gasp from Kaelys, and the fairy-like mage raised an eyebrow.

"She's so pretty…"

There was a moment of silence, until a faint red tainted Evergreen's cheeks. There was a boisterous laugh from Bickslow, and a small smile settled onto F… Greg-?-'s lips.

"Why, a-aren't you a sharp one," finally stuttered the woman, looking away.

"Hook, line, and sinker," snickered the knight-like mage.

Evergreen started hitting him with her purse once again, and Kaelys found herself relaxing a little. In the end, they acted just like team Natsu, kind of. Bickslow was Natsu, Evergreen was Gray, and Fred was more like Lucy.

"Say, how old are you, kid?"

"I'm not a kid," she huffed, finally sitting down next to the woman. "I'm fourteen years old."

"Still a kid in my books, then," he retorted, teasing.

She pulled her tongue at him. He pulled his tongue at her. Her eyes widened at the sight; his Fairy Tail mark heavily contrasting with the natural reddish pink of the muscle. He cackled, obviously finding her surprise amusing.

"This is so weird…" she mumbled as he pulled his tongue back in. Then, she beamed at him. "But it's really cool! Ne, ne, what's your Magic?"

"Ah, I like you, kid!" he exclaimed, grinning broadly. "I'm a Seith mage. I can capture souls with my eyes, and put them in other vessels that I can manipulate however I want-"

"Want! _Want!_ WaNt!"

The teen let out a startled noise when, suddenly, five totems-?- escaped from under the seats, and started flying around in the compartment.

"Awesome…"

"AwEsOmE! **Awesome!"** they chorused, floating up and down.

She laughed a little at the display, grabbing the nearest one. Careful not to hurt it –were they alive or something?- she then tapped her fingers against the wood. It echoed, being empty.

"Magic really is amazing…" she whispered, letting it go. Then, she reported her attention on the other two. "What's your Magics?"

"I use Fairy Magic," answered Evergreen, her lips quirking upward in a half-arrogant, half-amused smirk.

"Fairy? You're a fairy?" Kaelys's eyes started sparkling with excitement. She had never met a real fairy before!

 **'** **Calm down, you're acting like a kid'**

 _'_ _She_ is _a kid. Well, a young teenager. Let her enjoy herself, would you?'_

 **'** **Tche'**

"I personally use Dark Écriture, a form of letter Magic," then informed... Greed-?-.

"Dark Écriture…? Do you use your sword for it?" she tilted her head in curiosity.

"It allows me to channel it, though I can use my fingers to write the runes if needed," he nodded. "The three of us also possess a secondary Eye Magic. Mine complements my Dark Écriture. Bickslow's allows him to take control of the souls of living beings, and Evergreen's allows her to turn others to stone."

"That's _so_ cool," she gaped at them. "Then you guys are awfully strong, uh? And when you add the members of Team Natsu at that, and Gajeel and Mira and Gildarts… is everyone in Fairy Tail _that_ strong?"

 **'** **I hate to admit it but, if that's the case, then you'll need to up your game, kid. Though a Demon will probably help with that'**

 _'_ _I'm still not okay with this!'_

"Not now," she huffed under her breath, before looking back at the three. "I used to be strong too, but my Magic got weakened by my kidnapping and the overusing of my Thief Magic."

"Everyone is strong in their own rights, Kaelys," Fred seemed to be the leader of the group, with how he kept speaking up. "You are too. I mean, weren't you part of Oración Seis before? Surely they didn't take in just anyone."

At that, the other members of the team tensed, and shot him some looks. They had agreed not to bring up the girl's past unless she talked about it first, not wanting the mission to be troubled by her mental instability that might worsen due to bad memories.

"Brain found me when I first got in your world," she however shrugged, apparently unbothered by the subject. "He's the one who trained me. And yeah, I guess I was strong. But compared to the other members? I was the weakest, that's for sure. And now that I can't kill people anymore, well, I've got to focus a lot more on control; which is really annoying, by the way-"

The teen's eyes widened, she slapped an hand over her mouth. She hadn't meant to let that one slip out. After all, each time she brought up the killing, well, others became more uncomfortable. Not Gajeel or Eric or Macbeth, because they were in the same boat as her, and Lucy and Mira and Erza understood, and Gray and Natsu and Happy got used to it even though they still scrunched their noses if she gave too many details, but-

"Oi, kid, still with us?"

She blinked once, twice. Bickslow snapped his fingers before her face one more time, before pulling back with a grin.

"Thought we lost you for a moment."

"Sorry for that, I tend to forget that others aren't as…" _'The word Lucy used was_ carefree, _I think'_ "Carefree, about that subject."

"What, think you're the only one with blood on your hands?" he raised an eyebrow, leaning back in his seat. "Our history is much cleaner than yours, but it doesn't mean we don't have a few corpses weighing on the conscious."

"I thought Fairy Tail didn't kill," she replied, now confused.

"We don't," Evergreen took over, sending a glare Bickslow's way. "However, not all Magics are awakened peacefully. In fact, most of them are often awakened under intense emotional stress. And loosing control _always_ bears consequences."

Kaelys bit her lower lip. Hadn't something similar happenned when she used her Magic for the first time, when Brain found her? She couldn't really remember, just that there was a lot of red…

"One way or another, don't hold back, kid," Bickslow then gained her attention. "We're pretty open-minded people."

"Alright then. Say, do your Souls have names?"

* * *

They reached their destination three hours later. In the meantime, Kaelys had fully relaxed around her temporary team. And, while she knew they would never be as close to her as Team Natsu or even Oración Seis –or at least, all the members but Brain-, she still liked them a lot.

Bickslow was funny. He kept making jokes, his Souls were awesome, and she found herself laughing more than once as he teased relentlessly their other teammates. Evergreen was very confident in her looks and her strength, something Kaelys admired greatly, and the teen didn't let what could have been mistaken as –or actually was- arrogance, hinder her judgement. Finally, Greg was calmer, but still very talkative when it came to some subjects –Magic and books, mainly.

 **'** **I like them better than Team Idiots'**

"Hey!"

 _'_ _Well, they don't destroy everything in their path, so that's a nice change…'_

"Team Natsu doesn't destroy _everything…"_ mumbled the teen.

But even herself didn't really believe it.

* * *

They found a small inn where they would eat and pass the night. They would head for their final destination the next morning. After taking two rooms, they thus headed to the restaurant. Kaelys asked for the spiciest thing they had, earning a raised eyebrow from Bickslow.

"The food at the asylum was tasteless," she simply answered.

"How long where you in there for, kid?"

 **'** **Too long'**

"Two years, I think?" she counted in a low tone on her fingers, before nodding. "Yeah, two years in that hellhole and one with Oración Seis."

"That's rough."

 **'** **Ooh, he has no idea'**

"It's the past." Their plates were brought back, and Kaelys felt her stomach growl almost painfully. She was hungrier than she first thought. "And I guess it's a good thing after all, since I got here thanks to them. At least _one_ thing those assholes did right."

"They're the ones who sent you to… our world?" Evergreen still held some doubts concerning the 'other world' part of the teen's history.

"No idea. Maybe? I can't remember how I got here in the first place."

Kaelys quickly checked the food. While she fought that habit as hard as she could when it was Lucy's or Mira's, she couldn't bring herself to stop as soon as the food was made by someone else; even more so if they weren't from the Guild.

"Mind if I steal some?" It was meant as a joke, but the teen simply smiled at Bickslow and offered him her plate. At first surprised, he then gave in to his curiosity.

Something he regretted soon enough.

"W-what the hell –cough- is that?" he choked, cheeks going red and wheezing all along. "W-way too –cough- too spicy! Urgh…"

"Really?" the black-haired girl wondered, taking another bite. She chewed for a few seconds, before shrugging. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Crazy –cough- crazy kiddo…"

"I'm not crazy!" Before she could add anything else, though, she finally noticed something. "Bickslow? How come you're eating with your helmet on?"

At her question, the three stiffened slightly. He then raised his head to her. She knew he was looking at her, but she couldn't see his eyes, which was kind of annoying.

"Remember what Freed told you about our Eye Magic?"

"Freed…?"

The green-haired man sighed, slightly raising his hand. She offered him a sheepish smile at that, before reporting her attention on the Seith Mage.

"Well, he told you my own allows me to take control of the souls of those who look at me in the eyes," precised the knight-like man.

"… so you can't control it?"

"What? No, I can control it perfectly," he assured, a frown marring his features even though it was hidden by the helmet.

"Then why aren't you taking it off?"

"… because people are afraid I'm going to manipulate them and don't want to look at me…?"

"But you wouldn't do that." Kaelys was very confused now.

"… no. No, I wouldn't," he agreed, a small smile appearing on his lips. "Alright, then if you don't mind…"

Without wasting any more time, he took the helmet off, revealing a mass of spiky blue-black hair and dark red hair. There was also some sort of big tatoo covering the center of his face.

"I like your eyes, they're really pretty!" she then beamed at him.

"Why, yours are not so bad either," he grinned back.

 **'** **Well I'll be damned. Someone who likes your freaky eye color?'**

 _'_ _Levy complimented it too. Cobra has the same. And, like, have you seen half of the_ hair _color in this world? Or even the faces? Purple eyes aren't exactly weird here.'_

 **'** **Right, my bad'**

"And yours turn people to stone, right?" then recalled Kaelys, looking Evergreen's way. "That's cool. It must be really useful in a fight, uh? And since she's so pretty, she's already got pretty much all of the guys looking her way…" she pursued under her breath.

A faint red colored the woman's cheek, sending Bickslow into another snickering fit. Scowling, she hit him over the head with her fan, while Kaelys returned to her meal, and Fr… the green-haired guy engaged with her in a conversation about Letter Magic.

* * *

.

.

"Ever?"

"What is it?"

The teen rolled on her bed to face the woman.

"What happened between you guys and Fairy Tail?"

"What do you mean?" But she had stiffened at the question.

"Well, you guys are wary around the rest of the Guild, and I don't really remember seeing you hanging around with the other members…" the Thief Mage trailed off, seeing the shifting of the Fairy's eyes. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. Just… don't tell me nothing happened. I don't like when people lie to me."

"I…"

For the first time since they met, the mask of taunting arrogance cracked somewhat, letting show something bitter, something regretful.

"We made a mistakes, a few months ago," she finally answered, sitting down on her bed. "We… were stupid. Blinded. In our eyes, Fairy Tail had become a laughing stock, even though it was supposedly the strongest. So, along with our leader, we attacked. Kind of. We took hostages to force all of the members to play a sick game of survival of the fittest, so that only the strongest would be allowed to stay in the Guild that was supposed to fall in the hands of Laxus. Of course, we were defeated. Laxus was banned from the Guild, but we weren't allowed to go with him, and we've been atoning ever since."

The woman's hands clenched tightly around the hem of her dress.

"Who's Laxus?"

"Uh?"

"Who's Laxus?"

Evergreen stared at her for a few seconds, before snapping out of her thoughts.

"Our Team Leader," she answered briefly, obviously torn by grief.

"I see. Hey, Ever? Do you regret it?"

"W-what?" the woman snapped her eyes at her. "Of course I do! We all do! What kind of question is that?"

"Did you apologize?" insisted the teen, unfazed by the outburst.

"Of course-"

"Then there's nothing wrong, is there?" Finally shrugged the girl, rolling onto her back. "The rest of the Guild forgave you, obviously. You're only punishing yourselves now."

"We're atoning-"

"Fairy Tail is family, isn't it?" the purple-eyed mage cut her off, crossing her arms behind her head. "Everyone is allowed to make mistakes. I mean, just look at Gray! He kind of sicked a Dragon machine thingy on the whole Guild, almost killing Natsu _and_ destroying Magnolia at the same time. And that's going with how he helped in my kidnapping, too."

"But that's… that's…"

"Different?" supplied the girl, raising an eyebrow her way. "Not really. And what about me? What about Erik and Macbeth? We tried to destroy the whole _world_ , Ever. I doubt you can top that."

"I- urgh! How are you even making sense?" grunted the woman, falling onto her back.

"You should hang out with me and Lucy and Wendy and Erza someday," proposed the teen with a touch of finality. "I'm sure it'd be fun. And if you tell them what you just told me, I'm pretty sure they're going to answer the same way I did."

"… I'll think about it."

Kaelys hummed in acknowledgement, before closing her eyes.

 **'…** **I guess I judged too quickly'**

 _'_ _Again, you mean?'_

 **'** **Hey! She was acting like a bitch, what did you want me to do?'**

 _'_ _Arrogance is more often than not a defense mechanism. By closing yourself to the world, the world can't hurt you. Or in theory, at least'_

"Not having emotions isn't strength, though," muttered the teen, rolling onto her side to face the wall. "Or at least, not the one I want to achieve."

* * *

.

.

It was the middle of the night when Kaelys woke up. Shivering a little as the cold air of the night slipped inside the room thanks to a crack near the window, she tightened the blanket around her shoulders before getting up.

 **'** **Where are you going?'**

"Just going to get some water, sheesh," huffed the girl, heading outside.

 _'_ _Be careful. Something's off'_

Kaelys would have scoffed at that, if it hadn't been for the fact that she felt the same. She always slept lightly when alone, aware of her surroundings at all time. For her to wake up so suddenly meant that a threat was near.

 _'_ _Hey, where's Evergreen?'_

Kaelys stiffened, glancing at the other bed; which was indeed empty. Narrowing her eyes, she was tempted for a moment to take out her Book and use a tracking spell, but let it go and stepped out of the room.

Going to check into the guys' room, her bad feeling only worsened when she realized that they too were both missing.

"What's going on, here?" she mumbled, closing the door.

 _"_ _-ot fair."_

Her ears perked up at the noise. Listening intently, it took her a few seconds to understand that someone was talking. Curious and wary at the same time, she used her telekinesis to fly downstairs, where the voices were coming from.

Placing her ear against the door, she then realized it was the three missing members of her momentary team talking.

"Ever-"

"She's just a kid, Bickslow! A crazy, bloodthirsty one maybe, but also probably the sweetest, purest you'll ever meet! You can't possibly expect me to just sit by and let her make a contract with a freaking Demon of Zeref!"

"Evergreen, calm down." It was the green-haired man who intervened, calm as ever. "I have already talked to the Master about this, and it is the best option."

"For her or for him?" she snapped back.

"You know that he is doing this to protect all of us," his tone had gotten harsher.

"By sacrificing one of his so-called children?!"

There was a moment of silence at that.

 _'_ _They're talking about you'_

 **'** **No fucking shit'**

"Shhh!" she shushed, trying to listen some more.

"Ever," Bickslow spoke up with a sigh. "As much as I hate to admit it… Kaelys is the perfect vessel for the Demon. Was it anybody else, I wouldn't have gone with it. But her? Her I trust."

"It's not- it's not about _trust_ , damn it!" protested heavily the irate mage. "She's going to _die!_ We're going to help her dig her own grave! And what if it doesn't stop there? What if she actually manages it, and ends up contracted to the Demon? Then she's going to be _trapped._ She'll be fated to an eternal fight, one that she'll eventually loose, and none of us will be able to help her. That Demon? Let's give it to the Magic Council, and be done with it. She still has the choice to back out, so-"

"I won't."

The three jumped at her sudden apparition. Kaelys leaned against the doorframe, crossing her arms over her chest with a blank face.

"I know the risks, and I know why I'm taking them," she assured, voice perfectly emotionless. "While I may not look like it, I know what I'm doing. I've already got a few screw loose in there, so adding a Demon to the mix isn't exactly going to make a difference. So, I appreciate the worry, but know that I'm not backing down from this. Honestly? It's not like I _can._ It is my fight, and I _will_ come out of it victorious. That, I _promise._ "

She looked at Evergreen. The woman tensed, before scoffing and stomping outside without another look back. Bickslow sighed, before patting the teen's shoulder and going after his friend.

The green-haired mage stared at her pensively.

"Do you truly believe you can handle it?"

"I don't do lying," she simply answered. "If I thought I didn't stand a single chance, then I wouldn't have gone with it. You know, I've always believed that I'd die when I die, and that would be the end of it. I didn't really care. No matter the strength I would achieve, I knew that I had nothing to loose. No friends to miss me, no family to cry my departure, not even a home to return to. But then, I joined Fairy Tail. You guys made me realize that living actually held a meaning, even- even for someone like me. And today? I can't allow myself to think of my life as worthless anymore. I have friends, I have a family, I have a home, I have… too much to loose, now. And that's why I won't fail this mission. Because no matter what, I'm coming back. I promised, after all."

"… I understand." With a nod, the Letter mage rose to his feet, ready to leave. "We will help you to the best of our abilities, then."

"Thank you."

"No, Kaelys," he shook his head, walking out. "Thank _you._ You might not know it, but are helping us too."

"Well," her expressionless mask finally dropped, and she smiled at him. "What's family for?"

He blinked, taken aback, before smiling back.

"Good night, Kaelys."

"'Night!"

He too left, and she found herself alone in the room. Biting her lower lip, she went to the window. Outside, the stars were hidden behind grey clouds.

 **'** **Hey, kid?'**

"What?"

 **'…** **no matter what you've gotta do or give, don't back down.'**

"I already said I wouldn't," she replied, somewhat puzzled.

 **'** **Just saying. Now get to bed, it's going to be a long day tomorrow'**

"… right."

And with that, she too headed out, softly closing the door behind her.

* * *

"Bickslow, can I talk to you?"

"Uh? Sure."

* * *

.

.

The next morning, they left the small village and started making their way towards the cursed forest. The atmosphere was tensed, but Kaelys held no doubts that the team would do their job even if they didn't like it. It was her choice, after all, and she'd go in there with or without them.

As they slowly approached their destination, the presence of the Demon was starting to make itself known. The grass had turned to a sickly yellow, the animals were nowhere to be found unless it was as corpses, and the earth itself seemed to die a little more the closer they got.

"I can feel it," she muttered, refraining a shudder as cold wind picked up.

 **'** **We're all going to die, we're all going to die~'**

 _'_ _No we're not! Now shut up already!'_

 **'** **And who's gonna make me, you damn-'**

"Me, I you don't _both_ stop ranting," snapped Kaelys, tired of hearing them fight. "I don't want to be distracted when we finally find that thing, so _please_ : shut the fuck up."

At that, they finally fell silent. Sighing in relief, she was about to ask one of the three older mages when they would reach their final destination, only to run into Bickslow's back. Rubbing her sore nose and mumbling some curses under her breath –his armor was hard, damn it!-, she then looked passed him.

"We're here," she breathed out, tightening her fists instinctively.

The forest had emerged from the heavy fog like some nightmarish illusion, and Kaelys held no doubt that its appearance was the least threatening aspect of the whole ordeal.

"Are you ready?" Fr… the green-haired man glanced her way.

It was her last chance. Once in this forest, they either beat the Demon or died themselves; and Kaelys wasn't about to die, or let the others die for that matter. She had a promise to keep, after all.

"Always have been." And with that, she was the first to step into the cursed woods.

* * *

.

.

Kaelys was running. She was running and screaming and scared and damn it, she wanted _out!_ What was she thinking when going after that Demon? Of course she wasn't strong enough! She never had been, and never would be!

"Run and hide, run and hide, run and hide…" It was a maddening chant that twisted her tongue and left a taste bitterer than blood in her mouth.

That monster was going to kill her. It was going to kill her, and kill Ever, and kill Bickslow, and kill the other one _damn it why couldn't she remember his fucking name?_ and then it'd go after the rest of Fairy Tail and kill Lucy and kill Erik and Macbeth and Erza and Gray and Natsu and Wendy and Happy and Gajeel and Mira and the Master and everyone and everyone would be dead and killed and hurt and _dead dead dead dead-_

 **'** **SNAP OUT OF IT!'**

"Gaah!"

Gasping for air, the teen bolted into a sitting position. Coughing her lungs out, her head spinning, it took her a minute or so to gain back some control over her senses.

"W-what the hell… was that…?" She stared at her hands, wide-eyed. They were shaking, badly so. She doubted she would even be able to get up when in such a state. "I-I don't understand, w-what happened, what…"

 _'_ _You entered the forest. You were separated from the group. You then took off on your own while the other three held off the monsters that went after you. You were heading for the Demon's den when one of its monster's caught you by surprise. It… entered you-'_

 **'** **That sounded** ** _wrong-'_**

 _'_ _Shut up! Anyway, it possessed you and it… took over your mind, or something. We couldn't find a way to reach to you until now.'_

"T-those things…" Kaelys shuddered violently, bringing her knees to her chest. "I was so _scared…_ so _weak…"_

 _'_ _It was just an illusion. A strong one, but an illusion nonetheless-'_

"No!" she protested, wiping away the last remains of her tears. "It was something else! It was something _more!"_

 **'** **Now's not the time for that, brat. You've got a mission too, remember?'**

Right. The mission. She was supposed to form a contract with the Demon.

Now, though… now, she wasn't so sure anymore. What if she wasn't strong enough? What if she failed, what if she disappointed everyone, what if she broke her promise, what if what if what if-

 ** _'_** ** _Kaelys'_**

Her breath caught in her throat. She closed her eyes. Inhaled, exhaled. Repeated the process. Only stopping when her heartbeat returned to a normal pace, she opened her eyes.

"You're right." With that, she rose back to her feet. Leaning against the nearest tree for support, she still managed to stand. "I can't back down now. Whatever that thing was… I won't let it get the best of me."

 _'_ _That's my girl!'_

 **'** **Now get on with it, kid'**

The Thief mage smiled at that. Suddenly, another one of the creatures appeared, farther behind the trees. It had obviously found her, and was coming at her with a ferocious snarl. Her smile turned to a feral grin as she went at it head on, scalpel in hands and ready to spill some blood.

* * *

Much to her disappointment, the monsters created by the Demon had no blood to be spilled. However, she did relish in the pained howls that echoed each time she managed to strike one down. While undead, they could still be killed if hit at the right place; one she had found by accident.

Simply enough, if she managed to damage the seal-like tatoo hidden somewhere on their bodies, then they would vanish barely an instant later.

Kaelys didn't know how many she took down. She was simply focused on not letting them gain the surprise advantage. She had suffered through their mental torture once, and she wasn't about to do the same mistake again.

As she killed yet another of the beasts, though, a noise different from those emitted by the monsters was heard. It was much fainter, almost went unnoticed, but definitely there. Narrowing her eyes, she listened closer.

 _"…_ _there…"_

It was someone. Someone was talking, whispering. She listened even closer.

 _"_ _Just… there…"_

The mysterious voice sent a chill running down her spine. Tightening her grip on the medical blade, it took her a moment to notice that the creatures had stopped attacking her, and were slowly backing away into the shadows.

 _"_ _Approach… just there… come…"_

Shooting a last suspicious look around, she then started advancing towards the source of the voice. It seemed to come from so far yet so close…

* * *

Kaelys didn't know for how long she walked, or how far. However, she knew that each step brought her closer to the voice; one she was finally able to determine its source.

 **'** **That Demon sure doesn't sound friendly. It's obviously a trap'**

 _'_ _Or it's interested in her.'_

"Either way, it's my target," the girl shrugged, voice hoarse. She tensed as a twig snapped, though quickly refocused on her main goal. "I've got no other choice. Trap or not, I'm going."

They could say nothing against that.

* * *

 _'_ _It's here'_

"Aa."

As cliché as it could be, the entrance of a cave was now before her. She could feel the malicious Magic swirling deep inside, seeping through the cracks and weighting on the air, making it hard to breath. Biting her lower lip, the teen then steeled herself for what was to come, and headed inside.

She walked, going deeper and deeper. It was cold, she could feel thousand of eyes peering at her through the shadows. Had she been a lesser person, Kaelys held no doubt that she would have keeled over after the first step.

 _"_ _You came."_

"Well, duh," the black-haired girl muttered, glancing around. Her grip tightened on the scalpel. "Where are you?"

 _"_ _Go farther… I am waiting…"_

"Yeah, well, I'm searching, so don't get your panties in a twist," she huffed, keeping the same pace.

A low rumbled echoed. It took her a few seconds to realize it was laughing.

 _"_ _Come… come…"_

* * *

Kaelys lost track of time. It was dark, the entrance no longer in sight. The only thing allowing her to advance was the growing feeling of uneasiness and the voice of the Demon guiding her farther into the depths of Hell. There was no other sound than that damned voice, and those in her head.

 **'** **Ready to die?'**

"Tche. As if."

The girl stared at the gate-like doors she had reached. Two torches had lightened suddenly, and Kaelys knew she had reached her goal.

"I'm ready to kick some asses." And with that, she went inside.

The gigantic doors closed shut behind her, and the light vanished.

"So you've made it this far, uh?"

"Obviously." Kaelys scanned the room she was in. It was enormous, a few torches of which the flickering flames cast threatening shadows on the walls. "Are you the Demon?"

In the middle of it all sat a man. He had long, white braided hair that reached his waist, and piercing eyes, of which the yellow pupils were slit in the center. He also had two animal ears on his head, covered with black fur. A tail just as black hung lazily in the air.

 _'_ _Reminds me of a wolf'_

"That I am," he confirmed, offering a sweet smile. Said smile didn't reach his icy gaze, though. "I am Shirokage, Master of Shadows and Deceit."

"Quite the title. A Book of Zeref too?" She had to confirm.

"You made your research, I see." His smile didn't falter, but a dangerous glint was now held in his stare. "Yet I know nothing of you. Saved for your greatest fears, of course."

"Greatest fears, uh?" echoed the Thief mage. "Thanks to your little monsters?"

"Nightmares, I call them," he shrugged. His stance seemed relaxed, but Kaelys knew he was all but that. "But how shall I call you?"

She stared for a moment, before sighing and putting away her scalpel.

"My name is Kaelys Cloves, of Fairy Tail. And I've come to make a contract with you."

His threatening aura dimmed somewhat, genuine surprise taking over for a moment. Then, he burst into laughter. It echoed loud, rash. He laughed and he laughed, and Kaelys simply stood her ground even though he was obviously mocking her. She had come this far, and she wouldn't back down now.

"M-make a contract… with me?" he repeated when he managed to calm down. "What do you think I am, a Celestial Spirit? Ah! You're hilarious, kid."

"I'm serious."

"I'm contracted to _Zeref,_ little girl," he retorted, his smirk showing off sharp fangs.

"No you're not. You were created by him, but a magical contract would be able to override the primitive loyalty," she assured. "Or at least, that's what Greg said…"

"It may be so…" the Demon relented, tone taunting. "But Zeref is the strongest Dark Mage you'll ever find. What makes you think I'd want to contract with a weakling like you?"

"I've broken out of your Nightmare's hold, didn't I? And I'm much stronger than you think," she retorted with assurance.

"All those who contracted with me died anyway," he narrowed his eyes at her. She wouldn't take 'no' for an answer, and it was starting to annoy him. "They turned crazy and killed themselves. My late 'Master' is the one who dumped me in this hole before making his own heart implode. What makes you think you'll be any different?"

"I'm already insane. You won't find much more to break in that mind of mine."

He raised an eyebrow. Then, he rose to his feet. The tail flicked some dust from his shoulder as he placed his hands on his hips, staring down at her. He was tall, she knew he would tower her of at least three heads if he was standing next to her.

"You're interesting, kid," he then admitted, moving forward. "But what's in it for you? What's in it for _me?"_

 _'_ _Well, he's interested. There's that, at least'_

"I am the current holder of Thief Magic. However, the Book which I uses to operate said Magic is in poor state. The only magical Books that could contain and serve as proper vessel for my Magic are missing, or out of my reach."

"Saved for my own," Shirokage understood, nodding.

"Exactly. I wish to use your Book as my new vessel for my Thief Magic," she resumed.

"Little problem here, pal: you _can't._ That Book is my core. If you remove my Magic from it to place your own, then I'll be destroyed. I sure as hell ain't falling for that," he scoffed derisively.

"That's where you're wrong. I don't intend on removing your Magic. I intend on placing it elsewhere; another core if you want to see it that way."

"So you happen to be in possession of such an object?"

"Nope. What I propose… is that you take _me_ as your vessel. Fuse your Magic with my own. Share my body. I would still be in control, of course, but I'm sure we could look over those technicalities later on."

He stared. Then, without a word, he walked up to her. She didn't move as he stopped before her, face blank. Then, he hit her over the head.

Hard.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"When you said you were crazy, I didn't think it was so literally," he deadpanned.

"What? It's the perfect plan!" she protested, rubbing the sore spot.

"You're going to _die_ ," he insisted. "No human would be able to withstand such a fusion. And if you _do_ survive the possessing process, my Magic will fight yours each second of each hour of each day of each week of each month of each year until it crumbles along with your mind and soul. And when we get there, it'll bring us back to the first problem: my core will be destroyed, and I along with it."

"But while in my body, you'd still be conscious, wouldn't you?" she retorted, unfazed. "Meaning that if I ever loose it, you can take control. If that happens, then you can take over my body as insurance. Either way, I'm really the only one at risks here."

"So why are you trying anyway?"

"Because its my mission, because I need a new Book, because it'll actually save my life, and because I have a promise to keep," she resumed, counting on her fingers. She looked back at him. "Plus, I doubt you'll let me leave this place alive if we don't contract."

A feral smile stretched his lips. The teen tensed slightly.

 **'** **Watch out! You're surrounded'**

Nightmares had appeared out of nowhere, and were now effectively surrounding them. She narrowed her eyes at the Demon.

"Tell you what, kid," he returned to his seat without a care in the world. "It's been a while since I met someone as… entertaining. Now, I'm going to have some fun: I'm going to do my best to utterly _destroy_ you. Physically, mentally, emotionally… I'm not really one for boundaries, you see? So, I'm going to hurt you like no one ever hurt you before and! If you somehow manage to stay alive and somewhat sane at the end of it all… then I'll agree to form a contract with you."

"Sounds like fun. Be warned, though," she fell into a defensive stance. "I've had my fair share of monsters already. You'll have to outdo yourself if you really want to leave your mark."

The scalpel was back into her hand. Half-a-second later, all of the Nightmares charged at her.

"Why, I think I'll take you up on that challenge," Shirokage grinned once again.

 _'_ _Be careful'_

 **'** **You better win this'**

"I will."

* * *

Freed didn't know how much time had passed since they stepped into the cursed forest. He remembered Kaelys being separated from them, then going after the Demon, but he and the rest of the team had been forced in the opposite direction by the malevolent creatures. Bickslow had already fallen victim to their spell, and Ever and himself were having a hard time fighting the monsters and protecting their fallen comrade.

"Ever, wake him up!" he ordered, gritting his teeth as the runes barely blocked in time the attacks.

"I'm trying!"

Bickslow was shaking. He was shaking and screaming and damn it, this mission wasn't supposed to turn like that! They all knew it would be dangerous, but seeing his friend in such a state truly worried him. And Kaelys who had gone off on her own!

Suddenly, all of the creatures vanished. There was no warning, no flare of Magic, nothing. They simply disappeared, leaving a black dust in their trail. The green-haired mage stared for a moment, unsure of what had happened.

A startled gasp from Evergreen caught his attention.

"Bickslow!"

"W-what the hell…" the man coughed, slowly straightening. "What was _that?"_

"What did you see, Bickslow?" frowned the Rune mage.

"… I don't know." His voice was hollow as he looked down, tensed. "It was so… I don't…"

"Take a breath," Freed sighed. "I'm simply glad that you are awake."

"Where are the monsters?" asked the sole female of the group, rising back on her feet with suspicion.

"They disappeared. Do you think..."

He trailed off as a movement to the right caught his attention. Brandishing his sword, he was about to cast another spell when he caught sight of what was coming their way.

Or rather who.

"Kaelys!" Evergreen's relief was palpable. "Are you alright?"

"I've made the contract. Let's go."

The trio exchanged a glance. Her voice was empty. Her form… slumped. Defeated. They couldn't see her eyes.

"Kaelys?"

"Let's. Go."

She spun on her heels, already walking away. Ignoring her companions' confusion, she refused herself the relief that would bring her a few tears.

She didn't deserve it. Not after what she did.

* * *

 **'** **I can't believe it. You really gave them up, didn't you?'**

"Shut up."

They were now back at the inn. Kaelys had asked to be alone, and was sitting on the roof, knees against her chest and eyes staring at the stars. They glowed as brightly as ever, as if mocking her despair.

 **'** **They were your friends and you gave them away so easily… They never betrayed you, yet _you_ betrayed _them!_ That's just _precious!'_**

"Shut up!"

 **'** **Aww, don't you like me, Kaelys dear? You're the one who made the contract. You're the only one to blame. And now? Now, we're going to be together for a looong while. Better get used to me, uh?'**

"I never wanted… I never…"

 **'** **Yet you did. But don't worry! We're going to become the best of friends… and I won't leave as easily as those voices of yours. I promise~'**

Kaelys clenched her fists, taking a sharp intake of breath.

"I swear…" she shut her eyes tightly to hold back her tears. "For as long as I am a proud mage of Fairy Tail… I won't _ever_ set you free."

 **'** **Yet you'll need my power sooner or later, won't you? You did sold your supposed friends for some, so what's going to stop you from doing it again to your oh-so-precious family?'**

"I won't betray Fairy Tail!"

 **'** **We're not all that different, you and I. Just you wait, Kaelys, just you wait! Your quest of strength will either be your salvation… or your downfall'**

"I hate you."

But there was only emptiness in her tone.

 **'** **Oh, Kaelys'** Shirokage simply laughed. **'If only you could!'**

* * *

 **So... yeah. For those of you who still don't understand what just happened... well, truly EVERYTHING will be explained in the next chapter, that I promise. I however don't mind answering your questions, if you have any.**

 **I hope you won't kill me for this, I love you guys!**

 **PS: That's why I said this story was quickly turning into a shitstorm last chapter. And it _won't_ get any better. Just saying~**


	19. What You'd Do For Your Family

**Omfg I was so happy when I read all of your reviews! I'm really you guys don't hate me _too_ much, too. I'm surprised at how many actually liked the voices, really. Also, some of the questions asked will be ****answered at the end of this chapter!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

Lucy didn't know what she was expecting when Kaelys returned home, but it certainly wasn't _this_.

"What happened."

It wasn't even a question.

Freed sighed heavily.

"I have no idea," he then admitted, rubbing his tired face. "We were separated in the forest. When she came back, she simply told us that she had contracted with the Demon and that we should get going. We all tried asking her, but she refused to speak."

"And why did you think letting her go _alone_ was a good idea!?" snapped back the blonde. She had never been this angry before, and certainly less against one of her guildmates. But now… "Not only did she have to contract with a Demon of Zeref, of all things, but you let her go alone into this! What did you think would happen!?"

"We..."

There was nothing to say, though.

When they arrived, Kaelys seemed practically dead on her feet. There were dark bags under her eyes, and said eyes were so _empty…_ one of the irises had turned yellow as well; yet another proof of the presence of the Demon. Not only had she contracted with it, but she had become its vessel. And she seemed so defeated, yet so _angry…_

She had her damn Book now, but at what price? When they asked, she refused to answer and simply stated that they would all be safe, now. Which, honestly, wasn't all that reassuring.

Lucy was about to speak up once again when the door of the Master's office slammed open, letting enter Erik. For once, the arrogant smirk he always sported was gone, replaced by a wide-eyed look that was anything but natural on the man. He was panting, having obviously run to the Guild.

"Erik?"

"K-Kaelys…"

"Is she okay?" Lucy instantly jumped on her feet, worried.

"I-it's… t-the voices… she-she's…"

He breathed in deeply, before straightening to face them. His shock had disappeared as quickly as it came, leaving place to a serious, closed expression.

"The voices she's been hearing… they're _gone_. The both of them."

* * *

.

.

 **'** **Well, that was one fun way to be found out'**

"Do you ever shut up?" she hissed between her teeth.

 **'** **Kid, I've been trapped in that cave for** ** _centuries_** **. I ain't about to fall silent so easily. Plus, you're so fun to rile up~'**

"And you're a serious pain in the ass."

 **'** **My, you've been so angry since we became one. Where's that amusing arrogance of yours? That spunk? That fire?'**

"You took it away, along with my friends."

 **'** **I saved your life, you ungrateful brat. That little mind of yours would have broken down here and there had I not silenced those annoying voices of yours'**

"There must have been another way-"

 **'** **Nope~ Now, are you going to mop around all day? What's done is done. They're not coming back, you're stuck with me, and life goes on. Seriously, when I agreed for you to become my vessel, I thought you'd have more drive than that. Where did all of your determination go?'**

"I…"

The words caught in her throat. She rolled onto her side, clenching her fists.

 **'** **You wanted to become stronger, thus strength I granted you. Did you truly believe it would come freely? The stronger you get, the more you'll loose. It's a question of balance'**

"I gave you my eye, wasn't that enough?" her tone was weak, though.

 **'** **For which I gave you my Book. And you gave away your little friends –willingly, might I add- so as to become a proper vessel. Honestly, I had nothing to do with it, in the end. It was all. On.** ** _You.'_**

"I didn't know what I was saying!"

 **'** **Then why did you apologize to them, hum~?'**

"Urgh!"

She threw her pillow against the door. She was angry. Why was she so angry? She felt hurt and sad and empty and… and yet, all she could truly express was anger. Why? Because it destroyed her? Because it hurt? Because… because he was right?

::

 _"_ _There's no backing out now. Time to pay~"_

 _"_ _W-what do you mean?"_

 _"_ _Strength comes at a price. You gave me your eye, and I gave you my Book. We're already halfway through the contract process. However, if you want our contract to be fulfilled, if you want my power… then you need to give up something of equal value."_

 _"…_ _like what?"_

 _"_ _Ah! There's nothing 'like' it. You have to give up… what you cherishes the most. Something that is here, with you. Something that you'd never give up for anything."_

 _"…_ _alright."_

 _"_ _Uh?"_

 _"_ _I said alright. Take what you want. There's nothing I truly love that I have with me anyway."_

 _Shirokage laughed at that, kneeling before her. Their eyes met; her left one yellow and his right one purple._

 _"_ _Stupid girl," he grinned, pressing his forehead against hers. "I guess this is going to be more fun than I thought."_

 _Suddenly, pain overcame her. Burning, aching, ripping… everything… everything hurt_ so bad… _Collapsing to the ground, she screamed. She screamed until her throat felt like it was bleeding, screamed until she deafened herself, screamed until she could no longer scream._

 _And, as she felt the Demon settling into her soul, she suddenly understood._

 _"_ _I-I'm sorry…" she whimpered, pulling her hair. "I'm sorry…"_

 _A wail of despair followed as only silence answered her pain._

::

"Kaelys?"

The teen opened her eyes, only to find Macbeth leaning against the doorframe, a slight frown marring his features.

"I…" she couldn't say anything, though. So, she simply lowered her gaze.

With a sigh, the man walked to her bed and sat next to her. He placed his hand on her head in a comforting gestures. He didn't really understand what was going on; Erik had stormed out to find Lucy without telling him anything.

Seeing Kaelys's state, though, it was easy to realize that she wasn't fine.

"Macbeth…" her face scrunched up. He blinked, about to ask what was going on, when she suddenly latched herself around him and started crying.

The man tensed. A kid crying in his arms? No, that was _not_ something that happened to him, of all people. Was he supposed to hug back? Say something? Or maybe it'd make it worse?

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry-" she wouldn't stop apologizing. What for? He had no idea.

In the end, he simply settled on wrapping hesitantly his arms around her, hoping Lucy would get home soon. She was better suited for this kind of situation.

* * *

.

.

When Lucy entered Kaelys's room, it was only to find the teen sitting next to her window. In her bed, Macbeth was sleeping.

"He fell asleep while trying to comfort me," the teen resumed with a small shrug.

"Of course he did," Lucy shook her head with a sigh. "Come on."

Leaving the Reflector mage in peace, the two girls left the room and took place on the couch, in the living room.

"Where's Erik?"

"He stayed at the Guild to catch up some more with Cubellios."

"I see."

There was a moment of silence. Lucy looked down at her hands.

"… how are you feeling? Erik told me about… what's going on. Are you-"

"I'm not okay," the girl cut her softly. She clenched her fists. "It… it isn't fine. _Nothing_ is. I was so focused on getting more power, on getting that damned Book, that I killed my friends to get it. I-I was hell-bent on becoming stronger, no matter the price…" Her voice broke. She took a shuddering breath. "I'm scared, Lucy-nee. I'm so _scared…"_

The blonde gently pulled her into her embrace. Kaelys closed her eyes tightly, her whole body wracked by silent sobs.

"What are you scared of, Kae?" asked gently Lucy, threading her fingers through the teen's hair.

"It's not _what_ , Lucy-nee…" the girl's breathing hitched. "It's _who._ I gave them up for power… who's to say I won't do it again? To one of us? To my family? To _you?_ And now that I've got that Demon in me, everything's worse! I might loose control, I might let him out, I might give in and hurt someone or worse or- or-" she swallowed the bile rising in her throat. "I promised to grow stronger so as to protect all of you… but who's going to protect you all… from _me…?"_

Her grip on Lucy's clothes tightened until her knuckles turned white. For only answer, though, the blonde hummed. Her feather-like touch on the teen's hair was slowly relaxing the girl, who could now breath more easily.

"You won't hurt us."

It was said simply. A statement. A fact.

"H-how can you be s-so sure?" protested the Thief mage.

"Kae, look at me."

The black-haired wizard inhaled deeply, before rising her head. Her eyes met Lucy's, who didn't even flinch at the sight of her now mismatched pupils.

"You won't hurt us," she repeated with confidence. "You won't hurt _me._ And do you know how I know that?" Kaelys shook her head, making her smile. "Because I know _you._ Your heart is in the right place, big and open and willing to accept anyone even when those people aren't ready to welcome you in theirs. And I know that you love Fairy Tail as much as we all do, if not more. _That_ love is what's going to stop you from hurting us. And even if it does happen someday, then we'll _all_ be there for you anyway. We'll all be there to bring you back, to stand by your side because no matter the mistakes, you're part of our big, crazy family."

"But I _killed_ them!" The mere thought hurt so bad… "I gave them up… so _easily…"_

"I won't tell you if it was the right or the wrong thing to do. That's only for you to decide. No one has the right to tell you if what you did was right or wrong, no one else but yourself, alright?"

"I shouldn't have…"

"But you did. And now? It's already done. You can't go back in time, no matter how much you want to. What's done is done, Kaelys. If you consider that you made a mistake… then simply make sure not to make it again. Learning from the past is also how one gets stronger, okay?"

"… okay." Slowly, the girl pulled away from the embrace, and quickly wiped away the few tears that had escaped. "Okay, I understand."

"Good," Lucy then offered her a bright smile. "No matter what, don't ever give up, alright?"

Though weak, the teen answered with a smile of her own.

"I promise."

"Great! Now, what do you want to eat tonight? There's some lasagna left, but I can still make…"

* * *

As the blonde did her best to divert the teen's mind, their other two roommates stood in the doorway, watching.

"Think she's going to be okay?" simply asked Macbeth, stifling a yawn.

"I don't know," admitted Erik with a shake of his head. "I can't hear her, remember?"

"You heard her at the Rainbow Cherry Blossom Festival, or so you told me."

"And I still don't know how _that_ happened," he scowled, crossing his arms over his chest. His eyes lingered on Kaelys, who was now smiling more genuinely. "Just hope this Demon won't screw with her too much. The voices were annoying, but they were trying to help. This one, though… this one is going to actively seek hurting her."

"But not kill her?"

"She's its vessel now. If she dies, he'll be trapped in his Book until another fool comes along and contracts with it," the Poison Dragon Slayer countered. "It won't risk loosing the freedom-like state it has right now, but it _won't_ hesitate to hurt her, or try and get rid of her when it's done with her."

"Then I guess it's a good thing we're with her, uh?" shrugged the Reflector mage.

Erik glanced back to the two girls. They were now heading for the kitchen.

"Yeah." He shoved his hands in his pockets. Then, he started walking away to join them. "I guess it is."

Macbeth raised an eyebrow, before shrugging once again and following him.

* * *

.

.

The following morning, Kaelys was up and about well before the other three she shared the house with. After all, while she had now the perfect Book for her Thief Magic, she had yet to copy any other than the ones of Erik, Macbeth and Lucy. The blonde had asked it of her, saying that, was something to happen to her one day, then she wanted her keys to go to Kaelys.

They were her family as much as she was, after all.

Starting back to zero was quite annoying, if Kaelys was to be honest. And this time around, there would be no "stealing" Magics. If she wanted to copy one, then she'd have to ask first.

Natsu and Gray wouldn't have a problem with it. That, she knew. Natsu because he would want to fight her, and Gray because he helped training her. Wendy would also accept, the black-haired girl held no doubts. After all, two healers were always better than one. Gajeel had also accepted to let her copy his once she had control over all of them. She didn't know about Erza, though, or anyone else for that matter. She'd have to look into it later.

But still, before anything else, she'd have to gain back control over the Magics. She wouldn't be able to use Celestial Magic, of course, unless she decided to contract with Lucy's Spirits –which wouldn't happen anytime soon, obviously-. However, she still had Sound Magic and Reflector Magic. She had been a bit peeved at not being able to copy the Poison Dragon Slaying Magic, having forgotten she hadn't managed the first time around either, but quickly moved on.

The boys had used their most powerful attacks the day before so that she'd be able to use them, and she was grateful for their help. But now, she had to do her own part; her own efforts.

She wouldn't use the strength of others to increase her own.

 **'** **That's cute and all, but why don't you try training with mine, hmm? You might already know how to handle those two, but you have no idea what I –we- can do now'**

"I can use your eye to have access to your Magic," she easily recalled. "How does said Magic works, though?"

 **'** **So glad you asked!'** crooned Shirokage. **'It's fairly easy, I assure you. The easiest spell would be to summon the Nightmares. Creatures that can take any shape, form or appearance, and that can possess any living being. Once they do, said being will be trapped in an endless cycle of-'**

"Nightmares, I get it," she rolled her eyes at his sick glee.

 **'** **Party pooper. But yes, that would be right. You managed to break out of it, though I'm fairly certain it was only because of those annoying voices of yours. A** ** _normal_** **person wouldn't be able to. They'd stay stuck either until the spell is removed by the one who casted it, or if a stronger manipulating spell overrides it from the exterior. Which isn't an easy task, I can assure you'**

"And that, of course, includes heavy psychological trauma."

 **'** **Of course. Where would be the fun in that otherwise?'**

"And I thought _I_ had issues," she scrunched her nose.

 **'** **Rude brat'**

"Can you do anything else?" she then wondered.

 **'** **Of** ** _course_** **I can. Who do you take me for? But, since you seem so uneager to learn, I won't say another thing. Find out yourself'**

"Jerk," the teen huffed. "But fine, be that way. If I end up dead because I can't use your Magic, I'll blame you."

The demon muttered something, but Kaelys was no longer listening.

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. Then, she extended her hand. As if reaching out to her magical core, she however switched sources. Instead of draining Magic from her own, she took it from Shirokage's.

Instantly, her blood ran cold. Like, literally cold. It felt as if ice was now running through her veins. Ignoring the uncomfortable feeling, she drained some more, before concentrating on the spell… her eyes snapped open.

" _Nightmare!"_

There was a buzz of darkness, black smoke and sand suddenly escaping from her open palm to form some sort of cloud, which she knew sentient. And then, her left eye –no, Shirokage's- started _burning._

"Argh!"

Collapsing to her knees, she felt her heart throb painfully. The two Magic sources were fighting for control, pulling and stretching and tearing apart and breaking and _damn it it hurts_ because they were of opposite nature and those two Magics obviously wouldn't be able to cohabit.

Not only did it hurt, but it also was _terrifying._ She only now understood the true extent of the danger she represented for herself, and for others. Two Magics battling for control? Not good, even less if she one day lost. Loosing meant leaving place to Shirokage, and she knew the Demon would go on a rampage as soon as he got control.

The pain stopped. The Nightmare had vanished.

The same couldn't be said of Kaelys's fear.

* * *

.

.

In the afternoon, all the members found themselves at the Guild. Well, a few were missing, like Gajeel and Erik –where those two had gone, Kaelys had no idea- but most of the teams were there at the present moment. Natsu was messing around, Happy was wrapping up a fish, Erza and Gray were… somewhere, and Midnight seemed to be getting along with Mirajane.

While Lucy chatted with Wendy and Carla, Kaelys decided to go find the Thunder God Tribe –apparently, that was the name of the team she had gone with on the mission.

They were in the back, as always. When they saw her approach, though, they all tensed a little.

 **'** **Ah, already worried you'll hurt them. Loosing someone's trust is so easy~'**

"Shut up," she muttered, before facing them.

"Are you… feeling better, Kaelys?" then inquired Evergreen.

"Yes. I wanted to… apologize," the black-haired girl sighed. "When the mission ended, I was upset, and I took it out on the three of you. So, I'm sorry."

An apology was the last thing they expected to hear from her.

"We are the one who should be apologizing," then remarked F… the green-haired one. "We were in charge of protecting you during the mission, yet we let you go on your own to face the Demon, and-"

"We were separated," the teen cut him off. "None of us could have predicted it. I'm just glad we all made it back okay."

Bickslow exchanged a glance with Evergreen. When they came back, Kaelys was all _but_ okay. They however decided not to make any comment on it.

"Well, I believe we can all share the feeling," agreed the leader of the group. "And if we can help in any way, please, do inform us."

"Well, that's actually the other reason why I'm here," the Thief mage admitted, rubbing the back of her head. "I… due to the contract, my left eye is now gone, replaced by the Demon's. It… thanks to it, I _can_ use the Demon's powers."

"But you don't want to," easily understood Bickslow, leaning back in his seat.

Kaelys simply nodded in confirmation.

"Why?" wondered the older woman. "I thought you wanted power."

"Let… let me put this way." The teen ran an hand through her hair. She searched for her words for a moment. "Soon after I started learning Thief Magic, we realized that my Magic was much more stable. The brief explanation for this was that my Magic core was too big for me to handle with a single Magic, and two helped me balance it. However, my Magic started turning _against_ me when my Book started crumbling under the magical pressure –hence the losses of control. The balance I had managed to reach was broken, the process slowly destroying my very Magic core."

"That would by why the Master agreed to let you contract with the Demon," understood the Rune mage. "For any wizard, their Magic core is their source of life. Had you not regain that balance, you would have been killed by your own Magic."

"Exactly. Making the contract balanced my Magic once again. The thing is… well, it's kind of like having _two_ separated sources, so to speak: one being my own, natural Magic, and the other being the Demon's. Right now, my own Magic has the upper hand, if you want. Like, three quarters of the core is my own. The last quarter, what has been previously destroyed, has been replaced by the Demon's. If I start using _his_ Magic, though, then my Magic will become… tainted, so to speak. His will gain territory. And the more he has, the easier it will be for him to get control over my body."

"What would you want us to do, then?" asked the green-haired wizard.

"Seal my eye," she answered seriously. To her surprise, the man held her stare without a hint of uneasiness. "With your runes. Surely something like that is feasible, right?"

"Feasible, yes," he relented, lacing his fingers together. "Recommended? Much less so. It's going to hurt."

"I've known pain. Some more or some less won't make much of a difference, now," she simply answered.

He stared at her once again, but she showed no sign of backing down.

"Very well," he finally agreed. "When-"

"Now." Before adding, her tone less edgy: "Please."

"Of course."

He rose from his seat, but demanded of the others to stay there. The process would be a short one, but painful nonetheless, and he doubted Kaelys would want any spectators.

"Let's go to the Master's office," he proposed, gesturing for her to lead the way. "It is… soundproofed."

The underlying message was clear.

 _You're going to scream._

 **'** **How fun~'**

* * *

The Master quickly agreed to the course of action, and stepped out to let them work on it. Greg- no, damn it, that wasn't his name!- wasted no time and wrote some runes around her left eye. Once he was done, he took a step back and unsheathed his sword, lifting the blade to the level of her pupil.

"I'm sorry," he apologized in advance.

"Don't be."

He brought down his sword. Instantly, her eye started to _burn._ Thousand of needles were piercing from the front and from behind, her nerves were imploding, she could feel the blood dripping from under her eyelids-

Everything suddenly stopped. Her breath ragged, the teen took a few seconds to settle down the mad pace of her heart, before slowly looking back up to Freed.

"It worked?" she asked, voice strangely even.

"Aa. As of now, you won't be able to use the eye- or the Magic source related to it. Of course, the seal isn't eternal. It will become weaker with time. Also, you _will_ be able to break it under some… circumstances. High stress, strong emotions, sheer willpower…"

"I understand," she assured, getting back on her feet. She stumbled, but managed to stay up. Then, she smiled at him. "Thank you."

He sighed in defeat, before smiling back.

"You're very welcomed."

Neither mentioned how she didn't scream.

* * *

After cleaning her face, the black-haired girl took a moment to examine the new shape of her eye in the mirror. It was still yellow, much to her annoyance, but in the middle of the pupil was now engraved a purple rune.

"And I thought I couldn't get any weirder," she huffed under her breath.

 **'** **Why, I think it suits you. Though it would have been better without those damn runes'**

"I told you, didn't I?" she snapped back, straightening to glare at herself in the glass. "I won't ever set you free. _No matter what."_

 **'** **Careful with those words, sweetheart. Remember where they lead you last time?'**

She gritted her teeth, but didn't answer. After one last look at her eye, she resigned herself and tore apart her right sleeve. She quickly tied it around her head so as to hide the sole proof of her contract with Shirokage.

"But now the scars are showing," she mused, glancing at her arm. It had been a while since she last paid attention to the burns left by the electroconvulsive therapy, though. "Well, no matter. They'll attract less attention than my eye anyway."

* * *

When Kaelys came back down to join Lucy, it was in time to see Carla storming out, Happy running after her.

"Did I miss something?" The teen raised an eyebrow, sitting down next to them.

"Carla is acting oddly cold…" the blonde trailed off, still staring at the now closed doors. She then reported her attention on her. "But what were you- what?"

The Celestial mage blinked at the weird sight. One sleeve of the teen's shirt was ripped, and tied around the girl's face so as to awkwardly hide her left eye.

"… what are you doing?"

"… that guy sealed my eye," Kaelys resumed, gesturing to the Rune mage who had returned to his friends earlier. "At my demand. That way, the Demon will have a harder time trying to get control."

"Really? That's good, then," Lucy smiled, taking a sip of her strawberry milkshake.

"B-but why are you hiding it, Kaelys-san?" then asked Wendy, curious. "I-I mean, if you don't mind answering…"

"It draws attention," the girl shrugged. "I'll find an eyepatch later or something. For now, though, that will have to do."

The two girls accepted that answer, though Lucy obviously wasn't convinced, and the conversation was diverted back to Carla's strange behavior.

* * *

.

.

It was raining. Heavily, at that. However, Kaelys had promised Wendy to help her find Carla. And seriously, she couldn't just let the little girl go alone when in such a weather.

"Carla, where are you?" called the Dragon Slayer.

"I'll go check this way and the park," proposed the teen, pointing in the opposite direction. "Go check the bridge."

"Right!"

The two parted ways. Kaelys walked for a while, wondering if she should call for the cat too or if she should just wait for her to show herself.

"What are you doing out there?"

"Erik?" Kaelys blinked at the sight of the Dragon Slayer. "I'm searching for Carla. What are _you_ doing here?"

"Sunshine was growing worried," he rolled his eyes, hands shoved in his pockets. "I'll just tell her to go herself next time."

"Aww, you do care." A small grin was slowly stretching Kaelys's lips.

"I do _not,"_ he scrunched his nose, before looking away. "… she threatened to make my food with _soap_ for a _month._ "

"Ah, that makes more sense," deadpanned the teen. Then, she shook her head. "Anyway! I need to get going. I'll come back as soon as we found Carla, okay?"

"You do whatever you want, Loudmouth," shrugged the maroon-haired man. He spun on his heels, and started walking away. "Oh, and put this on, while you're at it. More practical then a ripped sleeve, I'd say."

He threw her a small package. By the time she caught it, he had already disappeared in the nearest alley. Curious, the Thief mage opened it, and stared for a moment.

"An eyepatch…?" She took it out. It was small, fully black saved for a small charm in form of star attached to the exterior corner of it. "Lucy must have bought it… I'll tell her thank you later."

She untied the sleeve, replacing it with her new eyepatch. It was much more comfortable, and-

"Wait, I can see through it!" she gaped, looking around in wonder. "How could- oh, right. Magic."

Well, that was much better than what she was hoping for. She hadn't thought about it beforehand, but not seeing from her left eye was an handicap she wasn't ready to take on just yet. It left her vulnerable, and she already had enough of that particular state with Shirokage and her Thief Magic that she had yet to transfer.

Shaking her head, she refocused on her main goal: finding Carla. However, as she stepped into another street, she found both her and Wendy.

"Wendy, Carla!" she waved, running to them. "Are you- whoa!"

Her foot slipped on the stones that paved the street, which had been made slippery because of the rain. Crashing down on the ground with a hiss of pain, she made a face at the sight of the few drops of blood that trickled down her arm. Since it was the one uncovered because of the ripped sleeve, there had been no protection whatsoever, and the skin had opened at the fall.

"A-are you alright, Kaelys-san?" Wendy kneeled next to her, worried.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," assured the teen with a sheepish chuckle. "That'll teach me not to run so carelessly."

"You're bleeding! Please, let me take care of it!"

"Wait, no, that's not-"

But the small Dragon Slayer didn't heed her protests, and gently but firmly grabbed her injured limb. However, as she was about to use her Magic to heal the small wound… it closed by itself. The skin quickly repaired itself under their very eyes as the last traces of blood were washed away by the rain.

"… well, that's new." Kaelys blinked, not sure how to take it.

"I-it must be the D-Demon…" suggested Wendy, letting her go. "B-but are you sure you're alright? It was a nasty fall…"

"I'm _fine,_ Wendy," Kaelys said once again, patting her head. "But thank you for your concern."

"… alright. Thank you, for searching with me then," smiled the younger girl. "It was really nice of you."

"Anytime, Wendy, anytime…"

Kaelys trailed off as, through the heavy rain, a tall figure suddenly appeared. Tensing, the teen stepped in front of Wendy, ready to attack at any given moment. The blue-haired child rose back to her feet, watching everything worriedly, while Carla simply stared with her eyes narrowed, not uttering a word.

After a few, tensed seconds, the figure finally stopped before them. He was quite tall, his whole body covered and his face hidden, with strange staffs attached to his back. There was a small noise from Wendy, who seemed to have a feeling of familiarity.

"Who's that?" wondered Carla.

"Wendy," greeted the mysterious man. He nodded to Kaelys, before reporting his attention on the smaller girl. "I never would have thought you would come to this Guild."

"That voice…" murmured the Dragon Slayer.

Carla's eyes suddenly widened in shock, but not in fear. Understanding there was no threat –or at least, at the moment-, Kaelys dropped her stance and stepped back. If anything happened, then she'd jump in.

Then, the man uncovered his face, and Kaelys could only stare. Blue hair, a red tatoo…

"J-Jellal!" Wendy took a step back, stunned.

"W-what's the meaning of this!? I thought you were captured!" gaped Carla.

"That was a different person than me," simply answered Jellal.

"But…"

"I mean, you're clearly Jellal!"

"… a doppelganger?" mused Kaelys, tilting her head. "I mean, the guy who helped Natsu back on Nirvana was an exact copy…"

"I am Mystogan, a member of Fairy Tail," announced the man-who-no-longer-was-named-Jellal. "Seven years ago… When I knew hardly anything about this world, I gave my name to you as Jellal…"

At that, Kaelys's eyes sharpened instantly. Carla instantly caught up.

"T-this world?" The cat glanced at the black-haired girl, who paid her no mind.

"You don't mean… you're the one from seven years ago?" Tears started rolling down her cheeks. "You're the Jellal from back then? I… I missed you so much!"

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to see you," he bowed his head. "But… now is not the time for happy reunions. Without delay…" Suddenly, he lost his balance, stumbling forward. Kaelys instantly caught his arm to steady him. "Get away from this city, without delay!"

His legs gave in, and the teen cringed. He was much heavier than expected, and so she had to lower him as gently as possible to the ground.

"I have failed in my mission…" he gritted his teeth.

"What mission?" Kaelys frowned. "What's going on?"

Above their heads, thunder echoed.

"Anima has grown too large for my power alone to suppress it!" he lowered his gaze in defeat. "Before long, Magnolia will be wiped out…"

 _"_ _What!?"_

"It's over. The destruction is already certain… At the very least, you could-"

"Wendy."

The small girl, who had been staring at him in horror, snapped her eyes to Kaelys. The girl had straightened, her traits had smoothed in a perfectly blank expression.

 _This is the other Kaelys,_ easily understood Wendy, gulping. "H-hai?"

"Run to the Guild," she ordered simply. "As fast as you can. I fail to understand what exactly is going on, but Master should already know what… Mystogan, is talking about. And if Magnolia truly is on the verge of destruction, then the Guild needs to be warned as fast as possible."

"B-but you-"

"Carla, get her there safely, and quickly," pursued the teen, unperturbed. "We will follow. Now go! We have no time to waste!"

Wendy stared for a moment, looked at Mystogan once again, before hastily wiping away her tears and spinning on her heels. She started running, Carla instantly flying after her. Soon enough, they had disappeared from sight.

"Alright," Kaelys sighed, shifting back to her normal persona. She grabbed the man's arm, passing it around her shoulders. "Up you go!"

She lifted him from the ground as much as she could, but he was much taller and much heavier than she was, which didn't help. His legs were like jelly, threatening to give in at any moment, but she wouldn't leave him.

He was a member of Fairy Tail, wasn't he? Meaning he was a part of her family too.

"I-it's no use…" he gasped, breathing harshly. "Everyone… everyone is going to die!"

"As if," grunted the girl, pulling him along. "Wendy is fast, and she won't leave everyone, even if you tell her to."

"But… if I can save her… at least her…"

" _She won't leave,_ " repeated the Thief mage. "Get that into your thick skull and get moving already! And why don't you tell me what's going on, while you're at it?"

"It's…"

His voice caught in his throat as his gaze lingered on the sky. Wondering what had gotten into him, Kaelys looked up, only to freeze.

The clouds were moving fast, gathering in a swirling pattern above the whole city.

"Let me guess: _that's_ what's going to destroy the city?" she paled.

"It's too late…" And as if on cue, a gigantic ball of lightning suddenly formed at the very center of the phenomenon.

The teen gasped at the sight, the burns on her arms suddenly aching. She instantly snapped her eyes shut, but it was too late, the image of the crackling, electrical ball above their heads engraved in her mind. She fell on the ground as it started shaking violently. Unable to stop herself, she slapped her hands over her ears as she curled onto herself.

Memories were flashing before her eyes. Fast, too fast.

"Stop it stop it stop it _stop it…"_

The wind was picking up, everything was shaking, there were flashes of light and she could still hear the thunder and the rumbles of the earth and- and nothing.

It was over.

Kaelys couldn't move, though. She was trembling, her muscles unable to obey her commands as she stayed down. She was frozen, tensed. Her heart was beating fast, too fast.

 _"How… how are you still here?"_

Someone was talking. She knew the voice, knew that person too. And yet, she simply couldn't move.

 **'** **Ain't that pathetic'**

"S-shut… up…"

There was suddenly warmth on her shoulder. She stopped trembling, her senses becoming drowsy. Slowly, she started relaxing, lulled to sleep by-

Wait. Sleep?

She finally managed to snap her eyes opened. At first, she was blinded by light. Then, when her eyes adjusted, she realized it had been Mystogan who had talked, and apparently calmed her down.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked, voice low.

"… yes. Thank you."

 **'** **Damn, had I know that a little storm was enough to have you freak, I'd have done something earlier…'**

"I can't stand lightning," she simply state, voice hoarse. She straightened her spine, before taking a look around. Her heart dropped at the sight. "What… what happened…?"

Everything was… gone. In ruins. There was nothing and no one left.

"Just as I feared," sighed Mystogan, rising back to his feet. "The whole city was destroyed, or rather taken, by the Anima."

"B-but what about Fairy Tail? The others? Where's everyone!?"

"… alive, though not for much longer," he admitted, shaking his head. Then, he stiffened, and looked back at her. "How come you weren't taken?"

"How should I know!? I don't even know what the hell happened!" she snapped.

A cold wind started singing a lonely lullaby in the farther distance. Kaelys shivered slightly, getting back up.

"We-we need to find them," she took a deep breath. "They're still alive, so there's _got_ to be a way. Now tell me what's going on. _Please."_

The blue-haired man sighed, but agreed nonetheless.

"They were taken to another world," he announced. "Named Edolas. It is a copy of this world, if you'd like, but with an altered reality. And, most important of all, Magic is extremely rare. The people from this world… they have taken from yours so as to get more Magic for themselves. Or something of the sort. I haven't been there in quite a while.. but you are right. There is no more time to waste. If you do not hurry, then it will be too late and everyone will be turned into Lacrimas."

"… Alright, I got the hang of most of it," she nodded, before blinking. "Wait, 'I'? You're not coming?"

"I shall search for other survivors," he answered, gesturing to the desolation now surrounding them. "I have no idea of why you in particular were not affected, but-"

"It might be because I'm from another world too," she suggested with a shrug. "I wouldn't be able to say for sure, though."

He stared at her for a moment, before nodding simply. The existence of a third world, or even a fourth or a fifth, wouldn't surprise him.

"Eat this." He pulled out a small bottle from his pocket. It was a vial filled with little, red pills. "It'll allow you to use your Magic when in Edolas."

Before she could ask anything, he had already sent a pill flying into her mouth. Forced to swallow, she made a face at the sour taste. Then, wasting no time, he grabbed one of his staffs and pointed it at her.

"I'm counting on you," he simply said. "Save our friends."

"I promise." And, as she felt his Magic gather around her, she smiled at him. "By the way, my name's Kaelys. See you around, Mystogan!"

There was a flash of light, and she was then thrown through the Anima. Mystogan stared at it for a second.

"Good luck, then," he started walking forward, starting his search for other survivors. "Kaelys of Fairy Tail."

* * *

.

.

When Kaelys opened her eyes, she found herself in the middle of a forest. The moment felt oddly familiar; similar to her first arrival in the magical world.

 **'** **Well, I was right about something: you** ** _are_** **a great source of entertainment'**

"So glad I can be of service," she huffed, dusting herself.

 **'** **Let's get a move on, already! It's been so** ** _long_** **since I last went on an adventure!'**

"What are you, a child?" she scoffed. "And this isn't an adventure. It's a mission. I've got to save everyone, and fast."

And as she started walking, she couldn't help but wonder about the limits she'd break over and over again for her family.

"Just wait for me, guys. I'm coming."

* * *

 **Yosh! Now officially starting the Edolas Arc, people! Better brace yourselves, there's a serious shitstorm coming though. Now, concerning the questions I've received on the last chapter:**

 **\- Yes, the voices are gone.**

 **\- I have no idea whatsoever how I came up with this. Seriously. The chapter wrote itself.**

 **\- You guys can imagine the voices however you want. I never gave them names or genders.**

 **\- When Shirokage speaks, it's only in her mind. The only link he has with the outside world is her left eye, which she gave up for the Book itself. It allows him to see and allows her to use his Magic, as explained earlier.**

 **So, I really hope you enjoyed this chapter too, and I'm looking forward to your comments! Toddles~!**


	20. Prepare For War

**Yosh, I made it! I apologize for the time it took me but, as you all know since I warned you guys in the first chapters, I have to post to my pace if we want this to work. We're not even halfway through the story, after all! Also, thank you guys for the awesome reviews! And now, onto the Edolas Arc...**

 **Enjoy!**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

Kaelys had been walking around for a while, now. She was utterly lost, that much was certain, and she was painfully recalled of her arrival in the magical world almost three years prior.

And she felt alone, too. She was worried sick for Lucy and everyone else, she never left without at least _someone._ And now, she couldn't even talk to the voices! There _was_ Shirokage, but no way was she initiating a conversation with that annoyance.

"Hey, you lost, little lad?"

Startled, the teen almost used her telekinesis to slam the man into a three. _Almost._ She faintly remembered Mystogan telling her how Magic was rare in this world and, while she was somehow able to use hers –something told her it had to do with the little pill the blue-haired wizard made her eat-, she'd be too easily spotted if she used it now, in front of a native.

The man was tall, though plain-looking. Not a mage, or even someone of importance, that much was for certain.

"I am," she answered plainly, glancing at him. "Can you help me get to the nearest village?"

"Village?" the man scratched his hairless head. "There ain't no village around, lad. There's the Royal City, though. You sure ain't from around these parts, are you?"

"No," she admitted. "Can you point me in the direction of this city, then?"

"I can even take you there!" he proposed cheerfully. "That's where I was heading anyway."

"I'll take you up on that offer, then. Thank you very much."

"Nan, don't sweat it. Now come on, we're loosing daylight!"

He started walking ahead. Kaelys stared at his back for a second, before following him. Any company was better than none, and she couldn't feel any Magic from him. He meant no threat, or at least, not in that moment.

"So, where do you come from, lad?" he asked, not a minute later.

"An… elsewhere."

She almost spilled the beans. However, she just _knew_ that she couldn't say whatever she wanted here. And, even if she couldn't lie, she still could evade to answer.

"I kind of got that, lad," the man rolled his eyes, but didn't pray. They both stopped, and he extended his hand to her. "The name's Eldon, though. You can call me El."

"I'm Kaelys," she answered, shaking it. "Nice to meet you, El."

As she pulled away, though, his gaze landed on the purple guildmark adorning her hand. He stared for a moment, eyes wide.

"Is there a problem?" she instinctively hid it from sight.

"N-none at all," he shook his head, returning to his cheerful self. "Sorry 'bout that. So, what's the story behind that eye of yours? Must be quite the tale if you lost it."

 **'** **Something's weird. He seemed scared for a moment'**

"Of my mark?" she muttered under her breath.

 **'** **That Mystogan guy** ** _did_** **say this world was an alternate reality. Maybe Fairy Tail is bad here?'** But even he didn't seem convince.

"Well, only one way to find out," she replied. "Hey, El?"

The man was gaping at her, and Kaelys sighed. She had forgotten other people weren't used to her… quirks. But then again, she _truly_ wasn't crazy now. She had a fricking Demon in her head to prove it!

"Have you heard of Fairy Tail?" she then asked, snapping him out of his daze.

 **'** **Way to be blunt'**

"F-Fairy Tail?" he echoed, paling dramatically. He then spun on his heels and started walking forward. "Nope, never heard of it. Maybe you can search for information in the city? They always know something on everything."

"I'll do that, then," she nodded, following him.

 **'** **I don't like this. He's hiding something'**

"Don't I know it."

* * *

 _In the town of Louen_

 _Four days are left_

 _._

 _._

Two figures were standing in the shadows.

"So then, where should we start?" wondered the first one.

"The townspeople?" shrugged the other. "Not like we can do much more."

The first one lowered his hood, revealing none other than Gajeel. Following his example, the second figure grunted.

"At least I'm not stuck with ash-for-brains," muttered Erik. "God knows we'd already be dead."

Gajeel snorted at that, before heading into the street. The Poison Dragon Slayer lingered behind. He narrowed his eyes as all those in the vicinity seemed to flee his fellow Slayer, before sighing heavily as he got stuck in a fight –with weaklings, yes, but a fight nonetheless.

"You done already?" he then called, stepping forward to join them.

At the sight, the three weirdoes Gajeel had been fighting froze.

Before fainting.

"… the hell was that?"

"We've got doubles here," answered the Iron Dragon Slayer with a shrug. "Or so it seems. My own if a freelance writer with an awful reputation, is what they said."

Erik stared at him for a moment, before snorting, and then full-out laughing.

"T-that's ridiculous!"

"Shut up!"

Their bickering however drew the attention of a few of the townspeople. At first annoyed when seeing Gajeel, they then all froze at the sight of Erik. The man stiffened at the sheer fear and confusion that seemed to echo from them.

"Guess your double's pretty infamous too, uh?" simply remarked Gajeel, sensing it too.

"Let's just get out of here for now," replied the maroon-haired man, spinning on his heels and putting back his hood.

"Right." Imitating him, Gajeel then followed suit.

As they disappeared in one of the numerous streets, though, Erik couldn't help but wonder about a certain Thief mage.

God only knew what the hell kind of mayhem she might be causing right now.

* * *

 _Royal City of Edolas_

 _The United Chiefs of Staff_

 _Four days are left_

 _._

 _._

"Whoa! Check out that giant Lacrima!"

"I saw it when I got here, Hughes. It's quite pretty, yes."

"That's like, tens of thousands of Earthland people's Magics!"

Three high-ranked officers were walking down an hallway, admiring the gigantic Lacrima now in their possession. The one to the right seemed to be the youngest, and was the one so impressed with their achievement. The one in the middle, the only woman, was much more collected. Finally, the one to the left, with a pink armor…

"More precisely, one should say, it's the magical power of about a hundred wizards, plus a great deal of other living beings," he corrected with a smile.

"Don't sweat the details, Sugar Boy~" laughed the first one. That boy was Captain of the Third Magic Regiment of the Royal Army, Hughes. "What I was tryin' to say was how it was like, wow!"

"I see," hummed the pink-armored one. Similarly, that man was the Captain of the Fourth Magic Regiment of the Royal Army, Sugar Boy.

Finally, the red-haired woman in the middle was none other than the Captain of the Second Magic Regiment of the Royal Army, Erza Knightwalker.

Also known as Fairy Hunter Erza.

"Listen guys, when I say 'whoa', it ain't, like, _kinda_ 'whoa'. It's like _whoa_ 'whoa'!"

"Whoa, indeed," agreed Sugar Boy.

"Erza-san, have you not yet done in Fairy Tail?"

At the voice, the three stopped in their tracks to face the newcomer.

"Byro," greeted the woman.

He snorted. "You're starting to give the designation 'Fairy Hunter' a bad name…" That man was the Chief of Staff of the Royal Army, Byro. "Well, they are the Guild that runs the fastest. But our Highness will be expecting results soon."

"Don't be so harsh on Erza, Byro. You know that she goes at her own pace, and that it always works perfectly well."

A figure stepped out of the shadows. It was a woman with long, blonde hair tied in a braid. Her blue eyes were sharp, though hollow.

"If Erza hasn't acted yet, then she must have a plan in mind," concluded the woman with roll of her eyes. "None can rush such things."

That woman was the Advisor of the King. Along with Byro, she was the one who had crafted the plan of bringing Earthland's Magic to Edolas.

"The day our Goddess catches her prey will come soon," added confidently Sugar Boy.

"And her sword is like, whoa!" added excitedly Hughes.

For only answer, the Chief of Staff started laughing like a sick old man once again.

"Stop laughing in that freaky manner, Byro," then ordered yet another newcomer. "It's disgusting."

"Panther Lily," recognized Erza, who hadn't uttered a word since Byro's arrival.

"I do not like those with loud mouths," stated the tall creature -he wasn't human, that much was for certain. "That includes you, Hughes."

He was the Captain of the First Magic Regiment of the Royal Army, Panther Lily.

"What, me too?" protested the younger boy. "I bet you think this is more like, whoa, than any of us!"

"Shut your mouth for a bit."

"Not in a good mood, Lily?" taunted Sugar Boy.

"Children, stop fighting already," the blonde Advisor then stepped in. "Panther Lily, it is good to see you back. I expect the mission went well?"

"It was a success," he simply retorted. "If you'll excuse me."

He bowed at her, before heading away. They all stared at his retreating back for a moment.

"However, our kingdom basically encompasses the entire world. It is true that there is no obvious reason for a further strengthening of our army," replied the red-haired Captain, glancing to the blonde woman behind them. "Your thoughts on the matter, Advisor?"

"There are still a few pockets of resistance," she shrugged in answer.

"If that were it, we alone would easily suffice," retorted Erza, narrowing her eyes.

The woman shrugged once again. Byro simply laughed.

"Man, I don't get it!" whined Hughes.

"Careful what you reveal," then warned Byro in a low tone. Only the blonde could hear him. "You wouldn't want our agreement to be revoked after so much work, would you?"

"I'll accomplish my part of the bargain," she narrowed her eyes. "Be sure to accomplish yours, and we won't have any problem."

"Good, good. I'll see you later then… Advisor Cloves."

* * *

.

.

 _Royal City of Edolas_

 _Three days are left_

A day after her arrival, they reached the Royal City of Edolas. Kaelys wasted no time in admiring the whole place, though. She had work to do, after all.

"Everyone was turned into a Lacrima…" she recalled. "It must be in this city, since it's the _Royal_ City. So first, finding the Lacrima… then what?"

 **'** **Destroy it'**

"And risk killing them?" she retorted, frowning. "No way!"

 **'** **Then find the others. People that can help you. You obviously won't do anything on your own, so might as well get someone to aid you'**

"Like who? The Fairy Tail from this world?" she proposed, more open to that idea.

 **'** **Have to find them first. Way too risky, not enough time or information. Why don't you familiarize yourself with the city first and get back some strength? You haven't eaten for almost two days, and you haven't slept at all last night'**

"What are you now, my mother?" she huffed. "I think I liked it better when you were just acting like an asshole. Playing nice like you're doing is giving me chills."

 **'** **Ouch~ I can be nice too, you know?'**

"Not to humans, you can't."

 **'** **Point to you. But still! You're my host now, my vessel, my anchor, my kind-of master! Can't I at least show that I care a little?'**

"No," she replied flatly. "Because you don't."

 **'** **Fair enough. However, if you keel over and die from exhaustion, I won't be able to annoy you anymore. I'll be the one to break you, nothing and no one else is allowed to! You can only die by** ** _my_** **hand, got it? I won't let anyone or anything kill you before I do'**

"I don't know whether to be glad or terrified," she admitted with a sweatdrop.

"Oi, Kaelys! You hungry yet?"

Eldon was suddenly back with her, two sticks with meat pieces in hands. He offered one to her, which she gratefully took. However, she wasn't careless, and was careful to test it first.

 **'** **There's a mild drug on it. He's trying to weaken you'**

Anger flared, but she pushed it down.

"Thank you," she nodded, giving it back. "But I have to go. I need to find my friends, whom are surely waiting for me somewhere in this city. It was nice to meet you, though. Farewell!"

"W-wait!"

But she was already gone, in the blink of an eye.

* * *

 _Sicca_

 _Two days are left_

.

.

"Luce, you okay?"

Natsu, Wendy, Happy, Carla and Edo-Lucy had just reunited with Lucy. After finding an inn for the night, they had agreed to rest, but the Celestial mage simply couldn't sleep.

Natsu tilted his head to the side in wonder, waiting for her answer.

"I'm worried about Kae," admitted the blonde, resting her chin on her knees as she brought her legs to her chest. "Mystogan told me he had already sent her ahead because she wasn't caught by the Anima-thingy either, but I'm scared. What if she breaks down? What if she's alone and in danger? What if she can't use her Magic either? What if they find her first and hurt her? What-"

"Lucy."

At the boy's serious tone, the girl stopped ranting, rising a surprised stare at him. It was a rare moment for the pink-haired mage to be so serious about something. But, then again, he was surely as worried as she was.

"Kae's strong," he assured. "And she grew a lot since joining Fairy Tail. She'll do just fine, and we'll find her and everyone else soon enough. And when we do, then we'll all go home together, alright?"

He offered one of his trademark grins. At his confidence, Lucy could only smile back.

"Hai!"

 _Wherever you are, Kaelys… I'll find you, and we'll bring everyone home._

 _I promise._

* * *

 _Louen_

 _Two days are left_

.

.

"That is a much interesting story indeed," nodded the freelance writer.

Erik sighed heavily. They had somehow managed to stumble upon the infamous double of Gajeel, and had wasted no time in explaining everything to him, hoping for a potential ally. They had been at it for a while, now, though.

"But if you are the me from the other world, then who might your friend be?"

The scariest part of it all was, without a doubt… the glasses. No matter what, where or how, the Poison Dragon Slayer would _never_ allow Gajeel to wear glasses, and neither a fedora hat while he was at it. That shit was just _wrong._

Hilarious, but wrong nowadays.

"That's Erik," answered Gajeel, downing his liquor. "Seen him around lately?"

The maroon-haired man raised an eyebrow, lifting his hood high enough for the freelance writer only to see.

The man gasped, dropping his pencil.

Then, he smirked.

"Why, this is an interesting development."

The two Fairy Tail wizards exchanged a glance, wondering if they were in deeper shit than they first thought.

* * *

 _Royal City of Edolas_

 _Two days are left_

.

.

Kaelys had heard the townspeople talk. The Lacrima was sure to be around here, somewhere! She had been searching for it nonstop since her arrival in the city a few hours prior, so she must be close to it now! If the people talked of it so openly, then it wasn't a secret, which meant it was surely displayed in plain sight.

 **'** **Oi, look at your left. That's an awful lot of people in one place'**

Kaelys stilled. In her haste, she had managed to push down the uneasiness she had been feeling since arriving in such a crowded area. However, seeing the gesticulating, noisy crowd made her heart make some sickening loops.

"I hate this world…" She took a deep breath, before moving ahead.

Disappearing in one of the numerous alleys, she then used her telekinesis to fly to one of the roofs so as to get a better view. Once there, careful not to be seen, she kneeled and looked down.

Only to freeze.

Below, a gigantic Lacrima was displayed. Dozens of guards were surrounding it, and some sort of maniac with a beard seemed to be making a speech.

"Who…"

She trailed off as her eyes lingered on the crowd. Looking closer, each face down there was smiling. And laughing. Some were singing, a few dancing. There were loud cheers, prayers. Grateful cries and tears of joy.

These people were _happy._ At her friend's potential _death._

 _At her family's destruction._

 **'** **Oi, kid, what-'**

"I won't… let them…" She started shaking. "I won't let them… I won't let them…"

She slowly rose to her feet, hands gripping her hair.

"I won't let them, I won't let them, I won't let them, _I won't let them…"_

 **'** **Ooh, angry, are ya? You should be'**

"Why are they smiling… why are they _laughing…_ "

 **'** **Your family's going to die, but they don't care. They rejoice because of it'**

"They're my friends… so why are those people hurting them? We never did anything…"

 **'** **They're humans. They're selfish. They'll take whatever they want, no matter the price. As long as they're not the ones paying it'**

"I won't let them…"

 **'** **They're going to kill them all. Are you going to let them?'**

"No… no, I won't…"

 **'** **Then what will you do?'**

"I won't let them… I swore to protect my family…" she gasped, taking a step back. Her mind was stuck in a frenzy, she couldn't think clearly, and her eye was burning _damn it it hurts!_ and she wanted to… to…

 **'** **Kill them all'**

Kaelys snapped.

* * *

 _Somewhere on the road to Royal City_

 _._

 _._

Erik stiffened.

"What is it?" Gajeel raised an eyebrow.

The Poison Dragon Slayer glanced farther ahead. Powerful magic had just been released, he could feel it. He could _hear_ it.

"We've got to hurry," he simply said, accelerating the pace.

* * *

 **"** **Are you the King?"**

At the ominous voice that echoed like thunder, the crowd's cheering slowly died down as all looked around to find the source. There suddenly was a crackle of electricity above their heads. A few screamed, many more looked up.

A young girl was standing on the edge of one of the buildings. Magic was clearly buzzing around her, creating a dark aura. Her black hair was agitated by a wind only she could feel, and her traits were deformed by an expression of pure, unadulterated _hatred._

Her right eye, the only one they could see, was purple and brimming with disgust.

 ** _"_** ** _Answer me!"_** she roared, clenching her fists. **"Are you the King of this despicable kingdom!?"**

The man narrowed his eyes at her, taking a careful step back. Seeing as he wouldn't answer, the girl snarled like a wild beast before jumping from the roof. The citizens screamed in fright, and it took them a moment to realize that she was in fact _flying._

Straight towards the King.

"Stop her!"

"Monster!"

"She's going to kill him!"

"Move!"

 **"** **DIE!"**

She extended her hand towards the man, ready to crush him like the insect that he was. She would cut off his silver tongue and make him eat it, she would make his eyes implode, she would rip out his heart and throw it at his people's faces, she would tear off his limbs one by one and enjoy as he screamed and plead for mercy, she would open him alive and feast on his entrails and-

Wait, what?

The cold vice around her heart snapped. Her breath hitched as she suddenly dropped to the ground, loosing focus. She crashed into the paved street as the crowd scattered in panic. Wheezing, coughing as if she had just emerged from underwater and barely escaped drowning, Kaelys was shaking badly.

"W-what… was that…"

 **'** **Damn, almost there! Well, better luck next time, I guess~'**

"It-it was you-" She coughed again, her whole body aching. She could feel some blood dripping from her left eye and escaping the eyepatch, rolling down her cheek. "Y-you made me… how could- could you…"

 **'** **I told you, didn't I? You might have sealed the eye, but it won't stop me from trying to take over. For as long as we share this body, then we'll both fight for it. And be warned, I can fight dirty~'**

"You… you asshole…"

 **'** **Better look up, sweetheart. You ain't out of the woods yet. In fact, I'd say you just entered them!'**

Shirokage laughed as she somehow managed to raise her head. The King was looking down at her as numerous soldiers surrounded her. Struggling to rise back to her feet, she however swayed and fell back to her knees.

"Who are you?"

She took in a shuddering breath. Somehow managing to calm down, she looked up once again and met the King's eyes, her will strong. Then, even though her hand was trembling violently, she proudly lifted it so all could see it.

"I am Kaelys of Fairy Tail," she announced strongly, voice hoarse. "And I've come to free my friends. You have… you have no right of stealing their Magic, their lives! And I don't care what it takes, but I _will_ stop you, even if I have to destroy Edolas until nothing but dust is left!"

She finally managed to regain enough strength to get back up. Her knees bent slightly, she never averted her gaze from the King's.

"No matter what happens… know that everything that is about to unfold will be on you!" she claimed, gritting her teeth. "Fairy Tail ain't so easily beaten! We don't abandon our nakamas! And if it isn't me that wins today, it will be them who'll win tomorrow! Just you wait, you goddamn piece of trash! We'll beat you senseless and make you regret you ever messed with us! I- _hack!"_

Someone had punched her straight in the stomach. She collapsed, the breath knocked out of her.

"Do not speak to your King of the sort, nor of what you do not understand."

That voice. Kaelys knew that voice.

 **'** **Ooh, who might that be?'**

Cursing under her breath as she coughed some more, the black-haired girl raised a challenging glare to the one who had just attacked her. Purple clashed with blue, and a passing breeze made the blond, braided hair of the newcomer fly lightly. For a moment, both stared at each other without saying a word.

Then, the woman's eyes widened in utter shock as the pieces of the puzzle slowly started falling in place for the Thief mage.

"K-Kaelys…? Is that… is it… really _you…?"_

"… just fucking _great."_

The teen spat some blood to the side, before looking back coldly at the woman.

"Been a while… mom."

...

 **'** **Wow, sure didn't** ** _that_** **one coming'**

* * *

 **Bwahaha, who did? I've been planning this for quite a while now, to be honest. To all of you who were expecting Edo-Kaelys... NOPE! I present to you Elena Cloves, her oh-so-dear mother. You can imagine how _that'll_ work out lol.**

 **Looking forward to your thoughts and reviews! Later!**


	21. Touching Reunions: Let's Have A Blast!

**Yosh! So, everyone enjoyed the little surprise from the last chapter? Yes, you have guessed it: Elena Cloves is actually the 'Edo-Kaelys' of this story! It is explained more thoroughly in this chapter. I've very happy about the feedback I'm getting too, and so I was really pumped up to post this chapter as fast as possible!**

 **Here it is, so enjoy!**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 _Royal City of Edolas_

 _Today is the day_

.

.

Gajeel stared down at the Lacrima in the town square, which was displayed for all to see, frowning.

"Damn it, if I barge straight in like that, I might hurt those bystanders too," he muttered under his breath. "And snake-face's not back yet… what should I do?"

He then narrowed his eyes as red clashed with red, Edo-Gajeel down below staring up at him with a knowing smirk.

"Oi, Metal Head."

The Iron Dragon Slayer tilted his head as Erik suddenly appeared next to him, having easily climbed the whole way up there.

"Found anything?"

"The ceremony is to be held tomorrow," informed the man. "And I heard something interesting too."

Gajeel raised an eyebrow in wonder, and Erik smirked.

"The King was attacked yesterday, just before we got here," he informed casually, and the other man instantly caught on. "A girl with black-hair and an eyepatch tried to kill him using Magic. She could fly."

"So the kid's here, uh?" easily understood the red-eyed man. "Where is she now, though?"

"Somewhere in the castle, I'd guess. I can't hear anything in there because of some annoying magical wards," tsked the former member of Oración Seis. "Rumors are that she won't be executed, though."

"Ooh?"

"Apparently… she's the daughter of the Advisor."

A few seconds passed, before the information fully sunk in. Gajeel's eyes widened, and Erik nodded in confirmation.

"Seeing as she's from another world and was thrown in our own, there was a… misbalance, of a sort. Edolas and Earthland are mirror-like worlds, while Kaelys's is a much farther alternate reality. To restore the balance, that Anima-thingy caught whoever held the most resemblance with Kaelys and put them in Edolas."

"Her mother," groaned the Iron Dragon Slayer, slapping a palm to his face. "What a drag… and she hasn't killed the woman yet?"

"She fell unconscious before anything more could be revealed," the maroon-haired wizard shook his head. "But I can easily guess she won't be all that happy to wake up and find her mother."

"A hundred jewels she's going to destroy the castle," deadpanned the man.

Erik snorted. "I ain't even taking that bet. We both know you'd win."

They quickly fell serious once again, though.

"So, what should we do?"

"I'll handle the Lacrima with the other me," answered Gajeel, looking back down. "You take care of the kid. With your… status, it should be fairly easy."

"Right…"

The Poison Dragon Slayer cringed a little as he recalled who _exactly_ his double in Edolas was.

::

 _"_ _Court… physician?"_

 _"_ _That would be the official title, at least," confirmed Edo-Gajeel. He pushed his glasses up his nose. "The truth is… he's completely insane. A mad doctor, if you will. He constantly experiments with poisons and uses prisoners as his guinea pigs. The King doesn't do anything seeing as he's also the one who is keeping his second son alive."_

 _"Always mad doctors, I swear... but 's_ _econd son'?"_

 _"_ _The First Prince went missing two years ago. The Second Prince Macbeth is still here, but in a coma. Doctor Cobra's inventions are the only things keeping him alive."_

::

"He rarely gets out of his room anyway, or so the other me said," added Gajeel with a shrug. "No risk of getting caught."

"Won't that be suspicious instead if I start waltzing around like I own the place?" retorted the Sound mage.

"… nan. And if they do, then just start acting mad or something. Shouldn't be too hard, right?"

"Asshole."

"Gihihi."

* * *

 _Somewhere in the castle_

.

.

"Urgh… my head hurts like a _bitch_ …"

It was pounding like crazy. Wincing, Kaelys brought an hand to her forehead, hoping it would somehow lessen the pain. What exactly had happened for her to feel like that?

 **'** **I manipulated you, you almost fell for it and tried to kill the King, then you took back full control and** ** _didn't_** **kill him –which is a shame, truly- and then you blacked out because of the sudden drain of power'**

"At least you're honest," she sweatdropped a little. A groan escaped her. "Why do I feel like you're forgetting something…"

 **'** **Nan, I'm just waiting for you to find out yourself'**

The teen raised an eyebrow, before sighing in defeat and slowly sitting up. She was in a bed, that much was obvious. But why? If she indeed tried to kill the King, then shouldn't she be in a cell or something? Hell, she was even expecting the execution platform at that point.

Yet, she found herself waking up a room. It was richly decorated, with a balcony to her left and sun shining through the curtains.

"Wait… how long was I asleep for!?" she started panicking. A blast of pain in her skull however calmed down her frenzy. "Ow…"

She laid down for another minute, until the headache became less vicious. Once she was certain she wouldn't collapse again, she pushed away the heavy covers and sat on the edge of the bed. Her feet weren't even touching the floor!

Wait. She wasn't wearing her shoes!

"My scalpel…" she felt panic slithering in her veins, quickly seizing control. "W-where is it? Where's my scalpel!?"

She never once separated herself from it ever since she took it from that nurse, back at the asylum. It always allowed her a certain peace of mind, for it meant she always had something to defend herself with. And now, even though she could still use her magic, she never felt so vulnerable.

 **'** **Damn, kid, and I thought you already had issues. You're almost more trouble than your worth, seriously'**

"… I think that's the nicest thing you ever said to me," the disbelief chased the mild panic attack in a heartbeat.

 **'** **Shut up and get up. Don't you have a mission or something?'**

"Shit! The Lacrima!"

She hissed in pain when the headache flared once more, but this time ignored it and jumped to her feet, running to the balcony. The tiles were awfully cold, and the light blinded her as she pulled open the curtains. She didn't care, though.

"I'm inside the castle," she understood, her eyes narrowing at the court. She could see the Lacrima beyond the walls. "I need to get out of here!"

Suddenly, the door of the room opened. Spinning around to face the newcomer, the girl then froze as a blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman stepped inside, a tray of food in hands. The woman froze too when seeing her up, before softening and offering her a small smile.

"It's good to see you up-"

"Why are _you_ here?" spat the Thief mage.

Elena Cloves, for it truly was her mother, tensed at the tone. The barely hidden disgust had come out in a half-snarl and, for a moment, the woman wondered if it truly was her daughter that was standing before her.

There was no doubt to be held, though. Kaelys had grown, of course, and she had apparently lost an eye –she hadn't dare remove the eyepatch, afraid of what she'd find-, but she was still the same as when they last saw each other.

 _Almost four years ago, uh?_

"How about we sit down and talk a little? It's been a while, after all," proposed simply the Advisor, sitting down at the small table. She gestured to the food tray she had brought with her. "You must be hungry. There's also some medicine, since I suspected you'd have a headache when waking up-"

"Stop it…"

"What?"

"Stop acting as if you care!" snapped the purple-eyed teen, angry. "You _never_ cared, you traitor! Everything was perfect, so why did you have to show up now!?"

There was a moment of silence.

"Almost two years ago, I was transported into this world," she then informed, taking a deep breath. "It was just after I learned of… your escape, from the hospital-"

"Asylum," corrected the girl, gritting her teeth. "A fucking mental ward. A hellhole where I was tortured day in and day out. But of course, call it hospital. Whatever helps you sleep at night."

Elena clenched her fists a little, but pursued nowadays.

"It took me a while to adjust. The people here were nice, and helpful. And one day, I stumbled upon the Chief of Staff and a secret project. He had heard of my arrival from another world, and was asking for my aid. They then explained to me the concept of the Anima, and the existence of a third world, named Earthland. I then easily understood what had happened, and came to the conclusion that if I was here… then _you_ were _there._ And so, I've been working ever since on this project-"

"The Lacrima," paled Kaelys, understanding dawning on her. "Y-you helped create the thing that stole our Magic… that's going to _kill my friends…_ to find _me!?"_

"Can one truly blame me?" finally snapped her mother, rising to her feet. "I thought I had lost you forever, Kaelys! I thought- I thought I'd never see you again! Can you understand how worried I've been about you? Knowing that you were trapped in _another world,_ to the mercy of anyone and anything, helpless, _weak!?_ You were a little girl lost in another dimension, and who was sick, and-"

"Do you even _know…_ what they did to me…?"

She shut her eyes tightly as memories ghosted in the shambles of her mind.

"They _tortured_ me… each day… each night… for two whole years, it was pure _hell._ Do you know what electroconvulsive therapy is? 'Cause I didn't at that time, but I learned _quickly._ They drugged my food all the time, kept me chained down like some sort of wild animal, and the only thing that stopped me from fully breaking down were the voices that apparently sent me there in the first place!"

Her voice hitched a little as her pupil dilated slightly. Elena could only stare, gritting her teeth all along. She didn't know what to do or say, but Kaelys wasn't done.

"I set myself free because if I didn't, then who would? _You_?" the teen spat. "I found myself in the other world. I discovered I had powers beyond imagination, and the opportunity to grow stronger so that no one could ever trap me again! I ended up joining Oración Seis, a Dark Guild whose aim was to destroy the whole world! And I _liked it_ there! I became friend with the other members, they helped me adapt, and I was treated by a tool by the Master but _I didn't care!_ Can you- can you understand what I'm saying!? I was so _done_ with everything, so fucking _scared_ … but _you_ weren't there. No, you were the one who abandoned me in the first place!"

"I never-"

"You _did!"_ she screeched this time, her words echoing in the room, heavy with accusations. She however quickly regained some sort of calm. "We were defeated by the Light Guilds. When we were about to get arrested, I snapped. What good was it to live if it was to have my freedom taken away once again?"

Understanding shone in her mother's eyes. she brought an hand to her mouth, horrified. Seeing that, Kaelys laughed. It was empty, cold.

"I jumped off a cliff. But guess what? They saved me. _She_ saved me. She caught me, and then scolded me, and then reassured me and gave me a place that I could finally call home. She didn't care about the hardships, she didn't care about the problems, she didn't care about the challenges awaiting us! She didn't care that I was broken, she didn't care because she was ready to give everything she had to help me! All of what _she_ did… is what _you_ should have done in the first place."

Kaelys stared at the slumped form of the one she once considered her family. The woman couldn't even look at her anymore, and the teen relished in the twisted satisfaction that came from hurting her.

"I've found a new family in Fairy Tail. I've decided to give life a second chance, a chance to prove me wrong, a chance to show me that it isn't all about pain and survival… I've decided to move on. The Doctor has been imprisoned, I'm not going back to our original world, and I sure as hell ain't staying with you. All along, all that I actually needed was for someone that I trusted to be by my side. I needed someone to stand by me, to understand me, to help me not with drugs and therapy, but with presence and loyalty! I needed people who loved me for who I was, and who I'm growing to be. I found those people in Fairy Tail, and I won't let anyone, not even _you,_ take that away from me."

Shirokage whistled lowly. **'Wow, you sure held nothing back. Harsh much? Though it** ** _is_** **funny'**

"I'm done here. Now, either you tell me how to free my friends, or I find out myself," concluded the teen. "Oh, and I'll take my boots back while we're at it."

After a few more seconds of silence, Elena muttered something under her breath.

"What did she just say…?" wondered Kaelys, failing to hear her.

"I said…" the blonde Advisor slowly lifted her eyes back to Kaelys'. "That you're not leaving!"

The teen was suddenly slammed into the wall. Grunting in pain, she then glared at her mother. The woman was holding some sort of staff her way, a blue smoke escaping from the tip and holding her in place.

"I won't allow it!" Anger and despair shone in her blue orbs. "I'm sorry for what you had to go through, I'm sorry for leaving you, I'm sorry for not being there when you needed me the most, alright? I'm so, so sorry!"

"Sorry won't cut it!"

"I know that! But now that we have the chance to be together again… now that I have the chance to make things _right…"_ A sob clawed its way out of her throat. "Then I'll take it. I love you _so much,_ Kaelys-"

"STOP LYING!" Using her telekinesis, she slammed the woman into the wall, and the staff fell to the ground due to the shock. The teen landed back on her feet, facing the teary blonde. "If you truly loved me, then you would let me and my friends go! You fucked up, okay? You fucked up, and it's too late to go back, and if you want to 'make things right', then it's not by killing those I love that it'll fucking work!"

She brought out her Book. Taking a second to appreciate the familiar weight in her hand, she then flipped it open to the Sound Magic page.

" _Sound Wall!"_

The whole room exploded.

* * *

.

.

"Their mission… was to kill you."

Natsu stiffened. Wendy started shaking.

"What… are you saying…"

"No way…"

Suddenly, the whole castle shook violently as a faint explosion was heard in the distance. The guards instantly tensed as Hughes narrowed his eyes.

"Causing trouble again, isn't she?" he muttered, annoyed.

"What was that? Who're you talking about?" snapped the pink-haired boy.

"Not that it concerns you," sneered a little the Captain. "But a girl tried to kill the King yesterday. She _was_ supposed to be executed, but ended up being the daughter of the Advisor. Anyhow, I guess I'll go help them get her under control. We'll need to have Doctor Cobra treat her soon, though. God knows we can't keep a psychotic kid around right now."

"Who- wait, come back here!"

But the other boy was already leaving with a casual wave of the hand, no longer caring about their prisoners.

"T-that was Kaelys-san…"

"What?" Natsu snapped his eyes at Wendy.

"It must have been her! She's the only one who was sent here, just before Lucy-san!" insisted the blue-haired girl, fighting back her tears. "And that explosion just now…"

"She must have caused it," he understood. Anger flared, and he slammed his fist into the nearest wall. "Damn it! I swear, if they do _anything_ to her, or Lucy…"

Fury shimmered in his eyes, deforming his traits. Had he still been able to use his powers in that moment, his fists would have been encased in flames.

"I'll _end_ them."

* * *

.

.

Gajeel was growing more and more agitated. They had started the process of drawing the Magic from the Lacrima, and he had yet to find an opening. He needed to destroy it, just as Mystogan told him, but how? There were too many people around, and there were too many guards; surely a consequence of yesterday's attack from Kaelys.

"Damn it…"

Suddenly, there was an explosion. One of the towers, farther away, had been blown from the inside. Instantly, panic took over the crowd as the bystanders started running away, terrified. The guards instantly loosened their stances, wondering whether they should go and help or stay and fulfill their duties.

"Send away two thirds of the group! The others stay here!" then ordered one of the higher-ups.

"Yes sir!"

And Gajeel could only smirk as the idiots left their posts. With what was left of the guards, he could easily break through and accomplish his own mission.

"Well, time to get to work!"

Pulling off his cloak, which would only hinder him, he grinned as the guards' eyes widened in fear at the sight of hist guild mark. Whatever shit Fairy Tail was wrecking in that world, it sure as hell worked in his favor right about now.

" _Iron Dragon Club!"_

Breaking through the defense, he then jumped and, without anymore hesitation, slammed his iron fist into the Lacrima. It cracked under the strength of the blow, but it wasn't enough.

"I'm not done yet! _Iron Dragon Blade!"_

This time, the dent was deep and wide enough for the plan to work. Landing back on his feet, he then shot a glance towards the crumbling tower. The blowing wind transported a familiar scent, one he'd recognize anywhere.

"Well, I'll have to thank the kid later for the distraction," he mused. However, his smirk soon fell as a bright light suddenly emanated from the Lacrima. He spun around to face it, only to freeze. "W-what!?"

* * *

.

.

"How the hell am I supposed to get in there?" he muttered, annoyed. "I can't just waltz in, they'll notice me right away and question me…"

Erik had been hiding near the entrance for a while now. He knew he needed to get in there, but the magical wards stopped him from using his Magic to defeat the guards at the gate. The only way in was to walk through said gates, but they'd either ask for an ID or wonder what he's doing out there. Plus, they must have been warned that there were some Earthland look-alikes and would be all the more suspicious.

 _What a fucking pain…_

Before he could ponder some more on the situation at hand, though, the nearest tower suddenly exploded. He blinked as it started crumbling, the noise startling the eight guards. Six of them were instantly sent away to check it out.

 _Well, that can work too. Now or never, I guess._

Gritting his teeth, he then moved out of his hiding place, and started walking down the road. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he took the most casual air he could muster and headed towards the gates.

As he walked, a familiar scent reached him.

 _Kaelys!_

It would be even easier than he thought, then. He couldn't help but sweatdrop a little, though.

As thought, she _did_ end up destroying the castle.

"Halt!"

At the guard's call, he stopped in his tracks, and shot him an annoyed look. The poor guy instantly recoiled, eyes widening in mild terror.

"I-I-I-I m-m-m-mean, p-p-please s-s-s-show u-us y-y-y-y-our I-I-ID…?"

Falling back in the 'bad guy' mood was more easy than he liked to admit. Looming over the obviously new recruit, he sneered at him.

"Said something, _squirt?"_ he hissed through his teeth.

"N-n-n-no s-sir! I-I-I mean, y-yes s-sir! I-I m-m-mean-"

"Shut up."

And with that, he pursued on his way, making it through the gates. However, the uncertain thoughts from the second guard made his step falter somewhat.

 _He seemed saner than before…_

Thinking fast, Erik did the only thing he could do at the moment… and started cackling as madly as he could. He faintly remembered a certain loudmouthed teen scolding him about it once, but didn't care at the moment. He instantly felt the fear spike in both of the soldiers.

 _Nope, as crazy as ever,_ was the thought he caught.

And the gates then closed behind him. Instantly, he let out a breath.

"Damn, too close," he muttered, before shaking his head. "Now, gotta find Loudmouth. Where could she-"

 _"_ _Come and get me, I fucking dare you, you god damn walking trash cans!"_

"Nevermind," he sweatdropped once again, before heading her way.

* * *

.

.

Kaelys snarled as numerous guards started filling what was left of the room. Her mother had been knocked unconscious by the explosion, but it had obviously drawn the attention of many more enemies.

"Come and get me, I fucking dare you, you god damn walking trash cans!"

The soldiers glanced at each other, unsure of what to do. Before any of them could actually react, though… a rollercoaster suddenly slammed into the girl, sending her crash into the nearest wall.

...

They gaped for a moment, before a figure jumped off said rollercoaster, revealing himself to be the Captain of the Third Division.

"She's really too much trouble," he tsked as she rose from the rubbles.

"H-Hughes…" Elena then coughed, waking up. "D-don't hurt her… please…"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," he huffed, before turning back to the teen. "So, are you really that weak or just pathetic in a fight?"

"… neither. I'm just not used to being slammed into by a rollercoaster."

Everyone sweatdropped at the overly honest, and frankly obvious, admission. The girl dusted her clothes, and the boy narrowed his eyes when realizing that she seemed to have suffered close to none injury. She should have _at least_ gotten a scratch, but she was apparently undamaged.

"Hey, I was wondering!" he then recalled, snapping his fingers. "How'd you lost your eye? It must be a pretty cool story, uh?"

"Who said anything about having lost it?"

For a moment, a ghost image of a snarling wolf was superimposed over hers, but the mirage was gone as soon as he blinked.

He knew it was more than that, though. There was heavy bloodlust, almost choking him as dread settled in his his guts, and _damn it what's going on danger danger danger-_

"What _are_ you?" he clenched his fist, no longer having fun.

"Can't you tell?" Cold amusement lacing her voice, she tilted her head to the side, her eye never leaving his. "I'm a monster, obviously."

...

...

...

"Why, if isn't Hughes and that dear Elena~"

At the new voice, all attention was reported on the newcomer. All guards instantly moved away as a man walked in, a sick grin twisting his lips. Instantly, the feeling of danger that had been suffocating Hughes vanished. He glanced at the teen, who was now gaping at the intruder.

"E-Erik!?"

* * *

.

.

"Fuck, too late," cursed the Poison Dragon Slayer as he stopped in his tracks.

He had been so closed! The room was a few doors away, but the _real…_ Doctor Cobra, had gotten there first. He couldn't just burst in, that much was obvious, and so he'd have to find another way.

Clicking his tongue in annoyance, he then leaned closer so as to hear what was going on.

 _"_ _You must be this Kaelys I've heard so much about,"_ mused the man. Erik refrained a shudder. Why did his double have to talk like that? _"I know not of this 'Erik', though I would guess he is my double from Earthland. Either way, I am not him. As for you, Elena, Hughes… we have a meeting, remember? We do not have time to waste on idle chatter."_

 _"_ _Right, right,"_ answered the one obviously named Hughes. _"But she's a pain, and Elena didn't give her the Magic-suppressing drugs yet."_

 _"_ _I didn't have the chance,"_ snapped a woman, apparently Kaelys' mother. _"She kind of made everything explode before I could approach her."_

 _"_ _Excuses, excuses~"_

There was a clicking noise, one the maroon-haired man identified as a gun.

 _"_ _Now, Kaelys, you have two options: either you surrender yourself, or I make you."_

 _"_ _As if,"_ snorted the teen, and he couldn't help but grin at the sound of her voice. _"You know, you_ really _should meet Erik. I'm sure he'd kick your ass."_

His double shot.

There was a moment of silence.

 _"_ _You missed."_

 _"_ _Your Magic sure is annoying. However, as said earlier, we do not have time for idle chatter. We have important work to do, you see? So, I'll try another way: either you surrender yourself… or we kill that blonde friend of yours."_

 _"_ _W-what? Who are you talking about?"_

The Dragon Slayer cursed quietly under his breath. Sunshine was held here, then! Just fucking great. Now, he had _two_ rescues to do instead of one.

 _"_ _I believe she's called… Lucy, right? Meaning 'light'. Truly a fitting name, I must say. And it'd be a shame to kill such a pretty one… of course, seeing her writhe in agony at the mercy of my newest invention would be fantastic, but-"_

 _"_ _Where is she!?"_

 _"_ _Now, now, don't be hasty~ She's alive,_ for now. _And if you surrender, then I'll make sure that it stays that way. So, do we have a deal?"_

 _"…_ _I could just kill all of you and go save her myself."_

 _"_ _You might have the aura of a killer, but you no longer have the heart of one. You won't kill me, or any of us."_

 _"_ _I can still break you!_ Sound W- _argh!"_

Erik frowned. What had just happened? While he could hear, he still couldn't see anything.

 _"_ _Thank you, Elena. Now, you two!"_

 _"_ _Y-yes sir!?"_

 _"_ _Get her to my laboratory. She won't cause you anymore trouble with her Magic, but be careful to chain her down well. It'd be a drag to have my greatest invention as of yet being destroyed so easily, and at such a needy time."_

 _"_ _S-sir yes sir!"_

 _"_ _W-what's going on… what have you done to me!?"_

 _"_ _A new drug I've developed recently. It allows to suppress one's Magic. It is temporary, of course, but don't worry! I've found a more… lasting solution, to that minor problem. Before tomorrow, your Magic will merely be a bad memory!"_

 _"_ _Doctor, enough of this,"_ then intervened… Elena, right? Erik couldn't really remember. _"Kaelys… it's going to hurt, but it'll be alright. When everything is done, then we'll be together again."_

 _"_ _I don't want to!"_ Muffled noises of struggling followed. _"L-let me go! I won't let you, you hear me!? I'm not abandoning my friends, not so easily! Let me go!"_

But her cries were ignored as she was dragged out of the room. A few moments later, all guards were sent away, back to their original posts. Erik simply hid in a closet as they passed. As he was about to come out, though, he froze in place.

That Hughes guy, the woman and his double were passing by.

"Do not fret, dear Elena. Soon enough, she'll be as good as new!"

"… she won't remember anything, will she?"

"Not a thing!" assured the madman. "Though you'll have to be careful when handling her afterwards. A child's mind is such a fragile little thing~"

"I will. Thank you, Doctor."

"Of course, of course…"

"Still, though," then joined in Hughes as they walked passed Erik's hideout. "Her killing intent… was so _awesome!_ And all that bloodlust, and that power! Your kid's awfully strong, Elena! It's going to be fun having her around!"

"I swear to God, Hughes, if you start corrupting her with your ideas of 'fun', then I will…"

They disappeared at the end of the hallway. Once he was certain they were gone, the purple-eyed man sighed heavily, stepping out.

Sunshine was held prisoner somewhere, her life on the line each passing second. Loudmouth was about to have her Magic ripped away and her memories wiped out. Plus, he had no idea whatsoever of what was going on with Metal Head and the Lacrima. And of course, it was to add to the faint murmurs about an oncoming war that put him on edge ever since he stepped in that damn castle.

What was he supposed to do now?

* * *

.

.

Kaelys trashed around as she was chained to the wall. The soldiers had left her in a laboratory of some sort, apparently Erik's double's. The heavy scent of chemicals made her head a little fuzzy, and the total absence of magical power made her feel so weak it made her sick. How come she always ended up in those situations?

"Damn it, damn it, damn it…"

 _"_ _Argh! D-don't touch her! I'll give you my Magic power, just leave Wendy alone!"_

Kaelys froze. Had she… had she heard right?

Ever since she got there, she had heard screaming in the background. They were merely noises, though, and she had been too caught up in her own panic and anger to really care about it.

But now… now…

 _"_ _ARGH!"_

"That's… that's Natsu!" she gasped. "A-and Wendy? What- what are they doing to them? Damn it, I've got to get out of here!"

 **'** **Kid, you're** ** _pathetic._** **Why don't you use my powers? They only sealed off your core. If you unseal mine and use it-'**

"Fuck _off,_ " she snapped, pulling as much as she could on her shackles. "I won't resort to freeing you, no matter what!"

 **'** **Well, those are** ** _your_** **friends who are suffering. Do what you want'**

"Damn it…"

A few explosions followed. The ground shook, and one of the numerous vials on the shelves suddenly fell and broke near her. There was a sizzling noise as some smoke followed, and her eyes narrowed at the sight.

"Acid…"

She glanced up at the shelf. It was just above her, and many bottles containing the same poison were disposed upon it. If she managed to make one of other vials fall, she could use it on her shackles and free herself.

 **'** **Or end up dying because you poisoned yourself like a fucking moron'**

"It won't kill me, not with the healing abilities you provided me with when we merged," she answered, taking a short breath. "Though it _will_ hurt like a bitch."

In the distance, more screams followed. Steeling her resolve, she then started slamming her body into the wall. The shelf was already trembling due to the shocks of the explosions in the distance, and also unbalanced due to the number of vials. If she hit it just strongly enough-

There was another explosion, one much stronger than the other ones. One of the supports of the shelf broke, and the vials started falling all around her. Extending her bare feet, she somehow managed to stop one from hitting the ground and breaking.

 **'** **This is a** ** _bad_** **idea'**

"Shut up!"

Making it roll her way, she then used her feet to bring it closer. Leaning down, she then pulled off the cork keeping it sealed.

 **'** **Great, it's open. Now what, genius? You can't use your hands, and I doubt you're flexible enough to use your feet'**

"Well, not like I have much of a choice."

 **'** **Wait, what!?'**

Gritting her teeth in anticipation, she then grabbed it between her feet and threw it in the hair. The vial spun above her head, spilling its contents. She howled in pain as some burned through her clothes. She could already feel it eating away her skin, but ignored it as some landed on the link keeping her shackles to the wall.

There wasn't enough to burn through, but there was enough to weaken it. With one last, strong pull, she managed to make it break and stumbled forward. She collapsed on the floor, the coldness of the stones making her hiss as it met her heated wounds.

 **'** **You truly are a mess, you know that? But…'**

"But _what!?"_

 **'** **That… was AWESOME! Gahaha! I can't believe I've found such a crazy host! You're a really suited vessel, you know that?'**

"Don't I… feel honored…" she grunted.

 **'** **Now, now, roll back the attitude dearie. I** ** _am_** **about to heal you, after all. Not that I can really stop it, but still! Take it as a thank you for the wonderful display of your still-growing insanity'**

Thankfully, there weren't many wounds to get rid off. Most of the acid had merely damaged her clothes, or fallen aside. As the pain finally subsided, though, she couldn't help but notice that there was now a scar on her shoulder.

A _very_ obvious one.

 **'** **I can't really let you forget** ** _that_** **stunt, can I?'**

"Jerk," she muttered.

But she really had no room to complain. She _had_ poured acid over herself, after all, and somehow couldn't decide which one between that experience or the oncoming earful from Lucy would be the most painful.

More screams suddenly followed, and she narrowed her eyes, focusing back on the task at hands.

That was Lucy.

"I can't use my Magic, though," she huffed, annoyed.

 **'** **Kid, you're in the laboratory of a mad doctor. Pretty sure you can find** ** _something'_**

"… fair enough."

As she let her gaze wander on the different tables and shelves, though, she instantly noticed the dark curtain blocking off what seemed to be another room. Raising an eyebrow, she didn't waste any time in pulling it aside, revealing some sort of box on the other side. It was made of glass, and there was something inside.

Curiosity getting the best of her, she looked closer.

And gaped.

" _Damn_."

* * *

.

.

"What the hell… are you doing to Natsu and Wendy!?"

Erza Knightwalker stared down at the blonde with a smug, victorious smirk. She had been chasing her and the two Fallen Exceeds for a while now, but they would no longer escape her.

"We're stealing the magic power we need for Code ETD from them," simply answered the red-haired woman.

"Stop it… stop this at once!" exclaimed Carla, tears streaming down her face.

"We caught him!"

Following the sudden announcement, Happy was suddenly thrown next to them.

"Happy!"

"Your devil's luck just ran out," then stated the Captain of the Second Division with a smirk. She stepped forward, spear in hands. "Die!"

"G-give… give Wendy back!" however replied the white cat.

Erza stiffened at that. As she was about to bring down her spear, though, there was the distinct sound of breaking glass.

"Aaaargh!"

Three of the soldiers suddenly fell to the ground as a sizzling smoke emanated from their backs. As they collapsed, a new figure made their way towards them.

"Who are you!?" snapped Erza, spinning around to face them.

"Just a girl who got her hands on some real nasty poison," deadpanned the teen, walking into the light. "Don't mind me."

And with that, she threw a bottle on the ground. Instantly, toxic smoke invaded the whole area. As panic settled in the ranks of the enemies, the teen ran to Lucy and covered her face with a clothe while the Exceeds used their scarves to do the same.

"K-Kae…" Relief shone in the blonde's eyes as she smiled a little. "I'm so glad you're safe…"

"Come on, Lucy-nee, let's get you three to safety," simply answered the teen, pulling her up to her feet.

"What was in that bottle?" wondered the Celestial mage.

"No idea."

A weird smell had now taken place all over the hallway. It was kind of fruity, though, and Kaelys couldn't help but wonder…

"Wait…" she narrowed her eyes at the nearest soldier. He had slumped to his feet, a blissful expression on his face. "Is that…"

"Alcohol," Lucy made a face. "That was alcohol."

"What a letdown," mumbled the teen, before shaking her head. "Anyway, let's go. We have to-"

Suddenly, an hand latched itself around her neck. Forced to let go of Lucy, she gasped when she was slammed into the wall, a tight grip now choking her.

"Kae!"

"W-what… the hell…"

"Very ingenious, Kaelys Cloves," Erza spat, annoyed and apparently unaffected by her little stunt. "Though not enough to deal with me."

"Y-you can't… kill me…" the black-haired girl grunted, clawing at the woman's hand with as much strength as she could muster.

...

"I never received such orders."

Pain flared in the lower part of her body. There was a scream in the background, one she barely recognized as Lucy's. Happy's and Carla's joined hers.

Why were they screaming?

Wait… why was _she_ screaming?

Shaking, she slowly lowered her eyes, which soon fixed themselves onto the spear now piercing her stomach. It had passed through the skin, the flesh, the muscles, _everything_. Warm and red blood was now morbidly running down the glinting blade and her legs.

"… aw, shit."

And then, the Captain activated the magical Lacrima, and a blast of lightning shot through Kaelys' body.

* * *

 **... I'm so fricking _mean_ with Kaelys, seriously. But hey, no backing out now, right? Anyway, hope you guys understand better what exactly happened for her mother to end up in Edolas. Just a question of balance, kind of like how Lisanna was sucked into Edolas when her double died. Also, I had no idea if Hughes could actually control the rollercoaster outside of the amusement park, so I just said yes and went with it. As for Doctor Cobra... I really have no idea where this came from. Guess I have a thing for mad doctors, lol.**

 **Hope you liked it, and look forward to the next chapter!**


	22. We're Back Together!

**Yo! I'm back pretty soon, but I felt like you guys deserved it seeing how long it took me to post the last chapter! I enjoyed reading your reviews too, it's always really inspiring and it makes me** **soon happy! Anyway, back into business!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

::

 _"_ _It'll be over soon."_

::

 _"_ _LET ME GO!"_

::

 _She was tied up. Why was she tied up? Her wrists were bleeding, her throat was raw and she had bitten her tongue more times than she cared to remember._

::

 _"_ _Dear, dear Kaelys… it's for you, only for you!"_

::

 _"_ _Please stop crying."_

 _She can't. She's crying. She's crying, but they're not stopping. They just won't fucking stop-_

::

 _"_ _I'll make you all better, just you wait."_

::

 _"_ _Don't worry!"_

 _It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts-_

 _"_ _Please… let me go…"_

::

 _She wants it to end. Can't they see what they're doing? They're not helping, yet they think they are._

::

 _"_ _I'll heal you, don't worry! Soon, you'll be all_ better."

 _Soon soon soon soon soon-_

::

 _"_ _No, no, no! I won't do it, I won't try to escape again, I'll do anything, just stop it!"_

::

 _"_ _I'll make you. All._ better."

::

 _"_ _Please…"_

 _PLEASE!_

 _Just..._

 _Just kill me already._

::

"KAELYS!"

Lucy's scream bounced onto the walls in a morbid fashion. That Erza look-alike… she had just _stabbed Kaelys._ She had just _electrocuted her._ Shaking, the blonde tried to run to them. She didn't know what she could do, all she knew was that she needed to get to Kaelys, she needed to help her, she needed to get to her now now _now-_

Two soldiers held her down. Another caught the two Exceeds, stopping them from going to the aid of the black-haired teen, whose scream had finally died down but was still ringing in their ears.

"No no no no no no no…" the Celestial mage struggled, but she could do nothing else but watch. "Kaelys! Don't touch her! Kae! KAELYS!"

The young girl was frozen, and obviously couldn't hear her. Her eyes were wide, unfocused. She was shaking badly, no longer screaming but her mouth still tearing open. The shock had awakened memories, _bad_ ones.

And Lucy could do nothing but _watch_ as it happened.

A sickening sound of ripping flesh followed as the red-haired devil pulled out her blood-coated spear without an ounce of disgust or regret.

"You will have died by accident," then claimed blankly the Captain. "Rushing to the aid of your friends, you have taken the hit for the blonde, and I could do nothing to stop my blow in time. And I, Erza Knightwalker, have then avenged the death of the Advisor's daughter by killing those responsible for it in the first place."

With that, she turned around to face Lucy and the cats once again. Behind her, Kaelys slowly slid down the wall, trembling hands gripping at her wound as soft whimpers escaped her lips.

 _Kaelys…_ Tears stung Lucy's eyes. _No… this wasn't supposed to happen… not like that… not here…_

"And now… die!"

As Edo-Erza brought down her spear onto the blonde's head, though, she was hit into the side and knocked down by… a block of ice? The air turned cold, and frost started covering the walls and the floor. Cursing under her breath, the Captain rose back to her feet to glare at the three figures now standing at the other end of the hallway.

"Oi, you bastards. You did all of this… knowing they're members of our Guild?" remarked the first one.

"We will never forgive those who lay hands on our fellow guildmates!" claimed the second.

"… with some exceptions, I would believe," sighed the third.

"Oh, right. Our bad," the first figure apologized.

"T-this can't be…" stuttered out Carla, wide-eyed.

"All of you… are now our enemies. Enemies… of Fairy Tail!"

Lucy felt such relief her whole body trembled violently. The soldiers however tightened their grip on her, but she truly couldn't have cared less at the moment as some of the icy fog that had blinded them lifted, revealing the faces of the three newcomers.

"Gray! Erza! Macbeth!" She wanted to cry of joy, she really did. However, another pained whimper from Kaelys brought her back to reality.

"There's another… Erza-san?"

"Is that Gray Soluge?"

"No, that's the Earthland one!"

"Wait, isn't that…"

"T-the Second Prince!?"

"Where are our friends?" snapped the Ice Make mage, clenching his fists. A shadow befell his eyes. Then, he got into a stance, and activated his Magic. "Where are the others you turned into a Lacrima!?"

He blasted the soldiers away with his attack. Edo-Erza instantly pounced at him, but her blade was blocked by her double. Both woman glared for a second, before Erza's eyes slipped onto the blade she was blocking.

It was coated in blood.

Both pulled away, facing each other.

"What… who have you hurt." It wasn't even a question.

"Why don't you look for yourself?" spat the Captain of the Second Division.

The Requip mage felt dread twist her guts. She snapped her eyes at Lucy, who was still held down by some soldiers. Other than that, though, she didn't seem injured. The two cats had also been freed thanks to Gray's attack, so-

"Kaelys!"

Macbeth's exclamation startled many. It wasn't often that the Reflector mage spoke, and even less so loudly. Following his gaze, it was only then that Erza noticed the slumped form on the floor. She hadn't seen it before, because of the shadows, but she could now clearly recognize who it was.

"No…" she paled. Then, she took back control over her emotions. "Gray, get to her! Macbeth, cover him!"

"R-right!"

The red-eyed boy didn't answer, simply blowing away the two soldiers that were keeping a hold on the blonde; the two soldiers who were left. Using the opening, Gray ran to the teen's sides.

"Shit, shit, shit…" he muttered. He couldn't see the wound, but there was _way_ too much blood pooling out. "Lys? Hey, Lys, you hear me? I'm going to freeze it for now, okay? It'll stop the blood, but-"

"DON'T TOUCH ME!"

She slapped his hand away. He wondered for a moment how she could still move when there was so much blood _out_ of her body, but soon forgot about it. She had backed away against the wall again, shaking badly, but he needed her to stop moving.

"Lys-"

"GET AWAY! JUST STOP IT!"

He then realized that she wasn't talking to him, per se. She couldn't see him, couldn't hear him. Or rather, she couldn't _recognize_ him.

She wasn't with them, right now. She was back _there._

"Damn it…"

"It hurts…" she was crying now. Rubbing her arms, which he knew covered in electrical burns, she was rocking violently her head from side to side and flinching away from ghosts only she could see. "It hurts, it hurts it _hurts-_ just stop… STOP IT! LET ME GO!"

Her breathing was rash, she was suffocating. Macbeth suddenly appeared next to her. Lifting her from the ground as she struggled violently, he then nodded for Gray to get the others and follow him. Frowning, the Ice Make mage glanced back to Erza, who was still facing her double with barely contained fury.

"Gray, you and the others get away. Take care of Kaelys and go save the others," suddenly ordered the woman. She was glaring at the Captain, who still hadn't snapped out of her shock at seeing the young girl she had just _killed…_ very much alive. "I'll hold her off."

"H-hai!"

He helped Lucy from the ground, freezing and then breaking the weird-looking cuffs around her wrists without much more of a thought. The blonde wasn't looking at him either, staring at the teen still in Macbeth's arms. Kaelys was obviously overwhelmed by memories, and watching it happen… it _destroyed_ Lucy.

"Come on, Luce," the boy shook her out of her daze, pushing her forward. "Let's get moving, fast."

"R-right."

The ex-member of Oración Seis instantly took off. Lucy had never seen him move so fast, or even so openly worried, which only worsened her own state of mind.

They only stopped running once they reached the nearest room they could find. It seemed to be some sort of cellar. Gray closed the door as the Reflector mage sat on the ground, the screeching girl still held tightly in his grasp.

Bringing her against his chest, Macbeth covered her eyes, hiding her from any outside vision. She screamed even louder and trashed around, clawing at every bit of skin she could find. He however didn't let go, murmuring words none of the others could hear in her ear. They were soft-spoken, steady, and his grip didn't lessen even when her nails pierced through the flesh of his hands.

After minutes that felt like hours, her movements became more sluggish. She lost her strength, her ragged breathing gaining little by little a much calmer pace. Then, she fell limp in Macbeth's arms. He slowly retracted his bloody hands.

"What-"

"PTSD," simply offered the black-haired man, sighing. "Leading to a panic attack. There must have been a trigger earlier. Fullbuster, her wound."

"Shit!"

Only now remembering she was badly injured, he ran to them to get to work. Lucy simply collapsed to her knees, somewhat in shock. Kaelys was hurt… Kaelys was dying… she was suffering…

And Lucy did _nothing._

"Whoa!"

As Gray grabbed the teen's hand to move it away from the injury, Kaelys snapped her eyes open. He was startled for a moment at the sight of the yellow orb staring at him, still not fully used to it, before shaking his head as she took a sharp intake of breath.

"Wha-what happened?" she asked, voice hoarse.

"Y-you were…" Gray exhaled, relieved at seeing her back to normal. "That Erza look-alike hurt you. We don't really know what happened, she stabbed you with her spear or something. We arrived just after, but you were having a-an attack, and-"

"We?" she repeated, shifting to sit up. Seeing as she couldn't move freely, she raised her eyes to meet Macbeth's. She blinked, before gaping "Macbeth! Wait- Gray!? How-" She coughed a little. "How did you get here?"

"Wait, stop moving," warned the Ice Make mage. "I need to see your wound-"

"No need," she shook her head, clicking her tongue.

"What do you mean, 'no need'? Do you even realize how much blood you've just lost!? Or are you already delirious?" he snapped.

Rolling her eyes, she moved her hands away, and the mage could only stare. While there was a crimson, sticky liquid now drying on… well, everything, he could still clearly see the long scar now occupying a whole side of her abdomen. From up to down, the edges ripped uncleanly, and with burnt skin surrounding it; the vivid proof of a _fatal wound._

"How…"

"The Demon fucking shit up, per usual" she grumbled, shrugging. Her eyes were veiled, though. "I feel dizzy…"

"You lost a lot of blood," repeated Macbeth, helping her sit up. "It's normal. You may have healed, but you'll still need to regain your strength."

"W-we don't have the time," she shook her head, trying to stand. "Natsu and Wendy- urgh…"

She bent over and, without much more ceremonies, threw up. Gray froze the smelly mess with a scrunched nose once she was done but, before he could add anything, pained screams echoed in the hallway.

"That was Natsu," Lucy gasped, suddenly coming back to her senses.

"W-Wendy's with him!" added Carla, snapped out of her thoughts.

"We have to go... go rescue them," grunted the black-haired girl.

Kaelys tried to stand again, but Macbeth was having none of it and simply lifted her up, putting her onto his back. Realizing that the teen felt better and was, in fact, no longer in danger, Lucy decided to focus on the situation at hands and think about… the rest, later.

"How did you guys get here?" she asked, rising to her feet.

"We'll fill you in later, we've got to hurry for now!" Gray however replied, opening the door and checking to see if any guards were around. "Let's go!"

"Right!"

The blonde shot one last look to Kaelys, but the teen wasn't paying attention to any of them right now. She was whispering something into Macbeth's ear, whom was listening with a slight widening of his eyes.

Deciding to ask about it later, she then started running too.

* * *

.

.

"So you're saying… that the giant Lacrima was only the _three_ of you guys?" repeated Kaelys, unsure if she was hearing right or if she was hallucinating because of the blood loss. "How crazy strong _are_ you guys!?"

"But how did you get out anyway?" added Happy, flying beside them.

"Gajeel showed up," answered Gray, glancing at them.

"Gajeel?"

"He destroyed the Lacrima, expecting to find more of us. He filled us in, gave us those weird pills that allowed us to use our Magic, and then sent us after you guys. Said Erik was already in and searching for you, Kae," added softly Macbeth. "Those pills were given to them by… Mystogan, who then sent them here. Just after Lucy and Kaelys, apparently."

There was a moment of silence, all gaped at him. He raised an eyebrow as they stopped at a corner.

"I think that's the most we ever heard you speak," sweatdropped Gray, before shaking his head. "But anyway, as he said, they were both sent here by Mystogan."

"Oh, like he did for me and Lucy-nee, then," nodded the teen in understanding. "Since they're both Dragon Slayers, they weren't affected by the Anima either."

"In this world, Dragon Slaying Magic can be used for a bunch of things. It can turn our friends turned into a Lacrima back to normal!" added Gray, clenching his fist.

"We know where that Lacrima is!" Happy exclaimed, raising his paw in the air.

"Really, Happy!?"

"Aye!"

"Gajeel's running wild in the city right now searching for that giant Lacrima! Do you think you can take Gajeel to where that Lacrima is?"

"Gajeel should be able to turn everyone back to normal, right?" replied Happy, determination shining in his eyes. He activated his wings, and started flying. "I got it! I'll take Gajeel there!"

"Wait, Happy! Are you gonna be okay?" Lucy tried to stop him, worried.

"He'll be fine," however assured Carla.

They stared at the hallway in which he had disappeared for a moment.

"Guys, I don't want to be the bringer of bad news," then drawled Kaelys. "But is it just me or it's really silent all of sudden?"

Everyone stiffened at that. Caught up in the moment, they hadn't realize Natsu and Wendy had stopped screaming.

"Shit! Let's go!"

They started running again, and Kaelys couldn't help but sigh at their stupidity.

* * *

.

.

"There, the doors!"

"They're just behind!"

Kaelys, still on Macbeth's back, simply raised her hand and slammed the doors open using her telekinesis. Thanks to the loss of blood, the drug stopping her from using her Magic had mostly been evacuated, thus allowing her some control back. She still couldn't perform much of a spell, but it only was a question of minutes now.

"Natsu, Wendy, we're- Erik?"

Everyone stopped in their tracks, blinking. Natsu and Wendy were unconscious, lying down on the floor. Checking over the young girl was none other than the Poison Dragon Slayer. He didn't even raise his head to greet them.

"They're still alive, don't worry," he simply assured. "Just knocked out by the sudden drain of Magic-"

"Prove you're the real one."

At Kaelys' suddenly cold tone, the maroon-haired man cringed a little, remembering what he had witnessed earlier. Rising back to his feet, he simply shot a blast of Magic at the nearest wall. Seeing this, the teen relaxed.

"Real one?" echoed Lucy, glancing at the two.

"My double's a mad asshole," simply offered the man.

"Not that different, then," muttered Gray, going over to Wendy.

 _"I heard that!"_

"Natsu!"

The blonde kneeled next to the Fire Dragon Slayer.

"Good to see you up and about, Beth," then greeted Erik, going over to them. He raised an eyebrow at Kaelys. "Why is he giving you a piggyback ride?"

"I got stabbed and lost too much blood."

"Right- wait, what!?"

Macbeth put her down, and she realized with relief that she could now stand without hassle. Getting used to standing on her own again, she couldn't however ignore as the two gaped at the wound. Or at least, what was left of it. A shudder ran down Kaelys's spine at the sight of the gigantic scar. Not only was it honestly disgusting –of course, all the blood over it wasn't helping-, but it was also yet another vivid proof of her new mind-mate.

 **'** **You know you love me'**

"As if," she huffed, before shaking her head. "Why do I feel like I'm forgetting something…"

As if on cue, a shock ran through her whole body. Her eyes widened as light flash before her eyes, her limbs burning and melting from the inside. Gasping for air, she collapsed to her knees.

The pain instantly stopped, and it took her a few more seconds to realize that Erik was trying to speak to her.

"… lys… Kaelys!"

"I-I'm fine!" she hissed through her teeth. There was no more pain, but her scars were aching badly. "J-just a bad memory…"

"I know, I _heard_ that!" he snapped, slapping her cheeks a little to help her focus. "But _why?_ You stopped having daily visions three months after joining us!"

"There was a trigger," answered calmly Macbeth, helping her sit up. "It's going to affect her for a while."

 **'** **What a messed up kid I've ended up with…'**

"You knew what you were getting into, so don't you dare complain," grunted the teen, massaging her arms. "Damn it…"

"N-Natsu!"

At Lucy's exclamation, the three ex-members of Oración Seis turned around to see the pink-haired boy rolling on the floor, coughing.

"I'll take care of Wendy next!" announced Grey, going back to the girl.

"Natsu, are you alright?"

The fire mage froze. Then, his fist slammed into the ground, startling the blonde girl. He raised his head, eyes blazing and anger etched onto his features.

"G-gotta stop them… or… or…"

"Stop-"

"ARGHHHHH!"

Flames rose to the ceiling and, before anyone could properly react, the boy was already running out of the room.

"Damn it!" cursed Erik, hands over his ears. "Fucking fire-breath…"

"Natsu, wait!" called Gray.

But the boy was already long gone. A moment later, though, the blue-haired girl started coughing, waking up too.

"Wendy!"

"You okay?"

"Carla… everyone… we're in trouble…" whispered the young Dragon Slayer, considerably weakened. "Everyone in the Guild… they will…"

Carla helped her sit up, and Wendy took a second to catch her breath, before pursuing.

"In order to destroy Extalia, the Royal Army intends to crash the giant Lacrima into it! They're going to use everyone in Fairy Tail as a giant bomb!"

Kaelys felt her panic rise. This wasn't right. If they used the Lacrima as a bomb… then what would happen to their friends? She clenched her fists, tears threatening to fall. If she hadn't join Fairy Tail in the first place, then her mother wouldn't have had to bring them into this. If she-

"Ouch!"

She glared at Erik, who glared right back, lowering his hand. He had just flicked her forehead rather roughly, apparently hearing her.

"If you hadn't join Fairy Tail, then Macbeth and I wouldn't have either. In fact, all of the members of Oración Seis would surely be rotting in a cell right now, if it hadn't been for you." He crossed his arms over his chest. "And if you ask any of those happy-go-lucky fairies, then they're going to go all cliché on you and start some speech about nakamas and whatnot. So, don't you even _start_ thinking you're to blame here, and even less believing it, got it?"

"… alright. Thanks."

"It won't become a habit," he warned, half-jokingly.

"Wait, wait, wait," then intervened Gray, having overheard. "Why would Kaelys think she's to blame?"

"… right, you guys don't know," she realized. Then, she sighed. "Long story short, my mother is actually my double here, in Edolas. Some science-ish shit happened, she arrived here the same time I arrived in your world, and she's been working on the Anima ever since in hopes of bringing me back to her. Which she succeeded, obviously."

"They were going to have her Magic suck out _and_ were going to alter her memories so that she would forget about Fairy Tail and believe she's been with her mother all along," added Erik, growling a little at the thought.

"How can a mother… do that to her own child…" Lucy lowered her eyes, clenching her fist.

"A desperate one," simply stated the teen. "But no matter. Right now, we have to act, and fast. If they do hit Extalia with the Lacrima, what will happen?"

"They said… they said Magic would rain down forever…" Wendy looked down.

"But that means…" the blonde paled.

"They'll all disappear!" understood Gray. "What- wait, someone's coming!"

They all fell into a defensive stance, saved for Erik.

"Don't bother," he warned. "It's just-"

"GYAHHHH!"

 _"_ _STOP YELLING DAMN IT!"_ cursed the the Poison Dragon Slayer.

"What's gotten into the flame-brain?" wondered the Ice Make mage.

"THERE WERE TWO ERZA! How… when… why… Battle of the giant monsters!? Is it the end of the world!?"

Everyone sweatdropped a little at that. Annoyed, Erik hit him over the head and sent him crashing into the floor. Natsu instantly jumped back to his feet, fists blazing.

"You wanna fight, you- wait, Erik? And Macbeth? And Gray!?"

"You won't shut up… you won't calm down… man, you're annoying," deadpanned the now shirtless boy.

"This is the Gray we know, from Earthland," added Lucy, exasperated.

"What!?"

"A lot of stuff happened and we're here now. So are Gajeel and Erza. Kaelys got here first, though."

"Happy went to stop the Lacrima," informed the teen.

"Oh, you're right!" suddenly exclaimed Wendy. "Gray-san and Erik-san and Macbeth-san and Kaelys-san are here!"

Horror struck the Ice Make mage.

"You didn't notice before?"

"No."

At that, Gray made a weird face, apparently offended.

"Well… we're in a basement, so I suppose… there's no sunlight on me…" Anime tears started streaming down his face. "I can barely see myself…"

Kaelys snickered a little at the dramatics.

"Wait, did you guys come here to save us?" then asked Natsu, scratching the back of his head. "You're safe too, Lucy? It's great!"

As Wendy apologized and thanked them, though, the pink-haired wizard suddenly stiffened. Narrowing his eyes, he sniffed the air a little.

"Who's hurt?" His question brought back some seriousness over the group. "I can smell blood… _lots_ of it. Who…"

He trailed off, only then noticing the black-haired girl, still sitting on the floor and using Macbeth as a chair. He paled at the sight of the drying crimson.

"W-what…"

"I-I'll take care of it!" gasped Wendy, instantly running to her side. "I'm so sorry, I should have attended to this first, I-"

"Wendy, don't worry," Kaelys shook her head, patting the girl's head. "I'm fine, really. The… the Demon healed me. Remember, when we were looking for Carla? The same thing happened."

"Oh, right," the Sky Dragon Slayer nodded in understanding. "But still…"

"Who did this, Lys?" Natsu gritted his teeth, fixing her newest scar with growing anger. Sparks were flying around his fists.

"… the other Erza."

At that, his thirst of justice deflated somewhat. He knew _their_ Erza would take care of it.

"One way or another, we still have a mission," then remarked the Thief mage, rising on wobbly legs. "We have to save everyone, right?"

They nodded determinedly at that.

"Alright, let's go find the King and stop them!" cheered the pink-haired boy, back to his usual self.

"I told you to stop yelling!" Erik slammed him into the ground again.

Kaelys shook her head with a sigh as the two Dragon Slayers started bickering, and smiled a little. Now that she was no longer alone, she knew they'd be able to save their family.

They had to be.

* * *

"Tche, where _is_ this King person?"

They were running again. They left Erza fight Edo-Erza, and Wendy had left with Carla to go and warn the Exceeds of the imminent danger. Erik had taken Kaelys onto his back to relieve Macbeth from the extra effort, everyone –Natsu included, which had been weird- insisting that she get as much rest as possible.

The teen had scowled, but agreed. She'd need as much energy as she could muster to fight, after all.

"Well, he's the King, so he must be in an important place," answered Gray.

"And where _is_ this important place, uh?" snapped Natsu.

"Well how should I know? I just got to the castle, and so did you and the rest of us!"

They stopped running. While the two fought, Lucy thought it over.

 _The cell was in a high place, and the middle garden is really complex looking. It's like a concentric castle city, except something is a little different… common knowledge on Earthland isn't going to help understand Edolas castle construction here at all! I wouldn't be surprised if there was, like, an amusement park somewhere in the castle._

"There is."

At Erik's voice, she tilted her head his way.

"What?"

"An amusement park," he rolled his eyes. "There's one."

"You're pulling my leg," she huffed.

* * *

"There's… actually an amusement park."

"Told ya."

Somehow, they ended up finding an amusement park. Kaelys had no idea whatsoever how they had gotten there, but here they were. They entered, and the teen couldn't help but shiver a little. An amusement park as big, but empty of life… it put her on edge, seriously.

"Guys," she called. A faint memory of an earlier fight had come back to her. "There's one of the Captains… he can fight using objects like the rollercoasters and such. You think he's here?"

A circus music suddenly echoed next to them, and the carousel started spinning, revealing the presence of a man clad in a pink armor.

"How fun…" he cooed. "And how bright, really. Truly Elena's daughter, aren't you?"

"I didn't hear him!" Erik's eyes widened. _Their magical tools are messing with my Magic!_

"Watch out!"

A boat that came out of nowhere was about to… navigate-?- into them. Without an ounce of effort, Macbeth deflected it and sent it crashing into the nearest attraction.

"Ooh, that's cool! So you're the double of the Second Prince, uh? And you're the Doctor's, right? That's, like, awesome!"

"Urgh, and there's the asshole who hit me with a rollercoaster," muttered Kaelys, already annoyed.

"… what?" blinked Erik.

"Don't ask."

"This, like, crazy fun magic power…" the other Captain stood on a roof, looking down at them tauntingly. "It's gonna disappear from this world soon, you know?"

Everyone glared at him at that, but he merely smirked.

"Don't you people understand how we feel?"

"We are going to get an infinite supply of Magic power," added the pink one, still on the carousel. "No matter what it takes to get it."

"We're desperate here. We won't let anyone interfere!"

"Hughes, calm down. And Sugar Boy, get off of this annoying time. We're not here to play."

At the new voice, all eyes fell on the blonde woman now standing a few meters away from them. Kaelys narrowed her eyes, rage bubbling inside her chest, but she kept it down somehow.

"Kaelys," then greeted the Advisor, glancing at her companions warily.

"Wannabe mother," returned the Thief mage.

Elena gritted her teeth at that, and pulled out her staff. Kaelys tensed, remembering the smoke that had managed to hold her captive earlier.

"Erik, put me down."

He frowned, but did as told.

"Why, they were right. Doubles from Earthland truly are a mirror image. How interesting~"

"And there's the last asshole of the bunch. Charming gathering, really," she mumbled.

Doctor Cobra stepped out of the shadows, eyes glinting with maliciousness. Erik made a face at the sight. They truly looked alike, and it pissed him off to no end.

"It's time to say goodbye, Kaelys," then announced her mother. She hit the ground with her staff, the noise echoing darkly. "It's time to go home."

"I will," assured the teen, staring at her with a blank expression. "But not to them. And not with you."

In the blink of an eye, the Advisor vanished, and reappeared before her, swinging her staff at her. The teen easily avoided it, narrowing her eyes as she failed to use her Magic on said staff. If she couldn't disarm her, then she'd have to do it the old way.

"Come on, _mom,_ " spat Kaelys, flying a few meters above ground. "Let's go and play!"

* * *

 **Okay, so I feel like this chapter is a little... messy? Confusing? The beginning is a quick set of memories flashing back. As you all must have realized, the electrocution was an important trigger for Kaelys. I mean, why would it be otherwise? She's suffered two years through electroconvulsive therapy, of course it'd leave more than physical scars. I also want to add that I never _had_ a panic attack nor have I ever seen one. So, if I wrote things wrong or made mistakes, please don't be mad at me. I truly did my best.**

 **Also, to clear up a few things:**

 **\- The magical tools are activated by a magical core that aren't _theirs._ So, natural Magic like Kaelys's telekinesis can't work on them. I took for granted that the Captains' tools were stronger than average, and so it's messing with their bodies as well. I just can't believe anything good comes out of handling magic when you don't have a core yourself. This is also why Erik can't hear them, for example. **

**\- Shirokage _could_ have used the opportunity of Kaelys being injured to come out. However, let's not forget that A) the eye is still sealed and it's holding on and B) that Kaelys had been triggered. He couldn't take a hold of her mental state when in such a crisis. It was too unstable, he wouldn't have been able to take control and keep it. Also, let us not forget that while it is Kaelys's mind that is scarred, so is her body. If Shirokage ever takes control of it fully, the body will still instinctively react to triggers and things like that. This is why Kaelys it the perfect Host for him, really.**

 **PS: he didn't take control of her when she attacked the King. Her emotions were already overwhelming, and he merely influenced her rage to fit his needs. Had she fully gone through with it, the seal over her eye would have been broken, and then he could have taken control.**

 **Anyhow, if you guys have anymore doubts or questions, don't hesitate to ask! And I really hope you liked it, even though not much happens during this one. Look forward to the conclusion of the Edolas Arc!**

 **Akuma, over and out~**


	23. To Face The Past

**Yeah, another chapter! So, after this one, I believe only another chapter is left in the Edolas Arc. I'm already pretty far into the Tenrou Island Arc, so look forward to me fucking shit up again~**

 **Hope you like it! Enjoy!**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

The ship was sent crashing onto them once again, but Kaelys simply flew higher to avoid it, not worried one bit about the others. They were strong, after all, much more than she was. They'd be able to handle the Captains. And, as thought, Macbeth simply deflected it again, this time destroying it for real. The whole place was in rubbles now, but everyone was safe and standing strong.

Kaelys landed on top of the nearest building.

"Erik, I'd ask you to fight your annoying double self," she asked softly, knowing he'd hear her. He glanced her way. "I doubt any of us would be able to fight him if he decides to wield his poisons. Take Lucy-nee with you, she ought to be of help."

He nodded in agreement, leaning closer to the Celestial mage to let her know of the situation. She nodded back, before sending a somewhat strained smile to the black-haired girl. She smiled back in reassurance.

"Tell Macbeth to handle the purple-haired one. Have him take Natsu with him. Gray can handle the knight-guy alone. I'll take care of that woman myself."

He relayed her instructions to the boys. While Kaelys was still a kid, he knew better than to go against that mind of hers. It was broken and twisted and sometimes really scary, but she was even smarter than Brain –which was saying something, really. He had learned to trust her strategies and, while he wondered what had gotten into her –teaming up Macbeth and Natsu, of all people?- he knew that she had a plan in mind.

Gray smirked her way with a thumbs up. Natsu's face split in a mad grin as he hit his two fists together, setting them aflame.

"You can count on us, Lys!" he practically roared. "I'm all fired up!"

"So this is Earthland Magic, uh?" mused Doctor Cobra. He readjusted his glasses on top of his nose. "How fun!"

"They really don't need any tools…" gaped Hughes. "Awesome!"

He soon lost his awe when Natsu punched him in the face.

"RETURN OUR FRIENDS!"

"Friends?" snorted the Captain, massaging his jaw. "Your friends will soon mix with Extalia's Magic, and become an eternal supply of Magic power!"

 _"Gah!"_

At Lucy's cry, Kaelys snapped her eyes back to them. The blonde, Gray, Erik and Macbeth were sinking into the floor.

"The fuck?"

That was the pink-armored guy's doing, of that she was certain. Narrowing her eyes, she was however forced to ignore their problems and return to her own as blue smoke trapped her wrist. Cursing under her breath, she could do nothing as she was forcefully brought back down. She managed to soften her landing somewhat, but it still hurt. She _had_ just slammed head first into a stone pavement, after all.

"I-I feel the love, _mom,_ " she snorted, rising back to her feet.

"I never wanted things to get like this, Kaelys," replied the Advisor, pale. Her hands were shaking slightly, and her eyes were glassy with unshed tears of frustration. "I never- I never wanted to fight you like this, hurt you like this-"

"Hurt me?" echoed the teen, shaking her head in mild disbelief. Certainly, that woman wasn't serious. She couldn't be. Not… not after _everything_. Right? _RIGHT!?_ "Hurt me? Ooh, you did much, much more than that! Hurt me? That's not… that's not even the _tip_ of the fucking iceberg…"

Her friends could take care of themselves. Whatever was happening now, she needed to get things done and said. She needed… she needed to make it wouldn't happen again. Her past kept coming back to haunt her despite all of her efforts, and she was _sick_ of it. She was sick of her friends being hurt because of her, sick of her family being put into danger, sick of seeing _them_ try to ruin the happiness she sure as hell didn't deserve but still longed for more than anything else.

She was sick of it, and she was going to _end_ it.

"I'm tired of running away," she then announced, clenching her fists. "And this story either ends with my death or yours. Prepare yourself!"

"Kaelys…" But Elena could do nothing to change her daughter's mind, she knew that much now. And if she wished for things to go back to normal, then she'd have to use force. "Very well. _Smoke Screen!"_

And thus, the battle began.

* * *

Macbeth was _not_ happy. His makeup was ruined, and this stupid purple-haired brat was clearly mocking him and his… friends? Maybe. But anyway, he was taunting them with that annoying wand of his, and the Reflector mage would no longer stand for it.

While Natsu slowly got back to his feet –the ride on the rollercoaster had been a harsh battle for the boy, apparently-, he rose to his feet to face the purple-haired Captain.

" _Invisible Scythe."_

Hughes was bright enough to avoid the attack, though barely managed to do so. As soon as he moved, the building behind him was _sliced in two_ , before crumbling to the ground.

"Wow…" Now was not the time for awe, though. Rising his wand, he then agitated it over the water, which started rising around his targets. "But I told you before, didn't I? I can control everything in this amusement park~!"

"Funny," drawled Macbeth.

He disappeared.

"Wait, what?" The Captain blinked, tensed. That wasn't right. The Earthland mages were weak, they weren't supposed to-"Shit!"

He barely stepped away in time to avoid being hit by his very own rollercoaster.

"What? No way! I can control everything in here!" he protested, trying to use his wand in vain.

"Funny." He stiffened as the voice echoed in his ear, empty. _He's… behind me._ "Because I control everything, _period."_

He was sent flying into the water. Spluttering and flailing around, he was about to teach this gloom-and-doom guy a lesson when pain flared in the back of his head; Natsu had just punched him again, sending him underwater once more. Rising back to the surface, Hughes coughed, groaning a little. He glared at the pink-haired boy now standing before him. Fire was surrounding him, signs of barely contained rage, and the black-haired one was nowhere to be seen still.

"J-just you wait!" he spat, now angry. "We'll get the eternal Magic, and you won't be able to do a thing about it!"

He raised his wand to attack, before stiffening.

He was no longer holding it.

"I think you dropped this," murmured that damned voice in his ear once again. He glanced back, eyes wide as he saw the black-haired mage now holding his tool.

"Give it back!"

But he couldn't move, suddenly held in place… by his own clothes?

"What the hell!?"

He was facing the Dragon Slayer once again.

"We won't let you…" Natsu growled lowly, fire growing bigger and hotter. "There are things more important than eternal Magic… and it's called living! It's called LIFE!"

Hughes was genuinely terrified now. He was powerless, facing a real… a real…

The vision of a dragon danced before his eyes, and his breath caught in his throat.

 _A real…_

"… a m-monster!"

And then, everything _burnt._

…

…

…

Or at least, that's what he saw. Overwhelmed by the vision, he passed out. As soon as he was certain their enemy wouldn't wake up, Macbeth retracted his illusions and sent him on the dock. He left him tied up, though. Better not risk anything.

"Wow, that was awesome, Beth! You're really strong, right? Wanna fight me when we get back home?" grinned Natsu, back to his usual self.

"… we'll see about that."

"Sweet! Now let's go and help out the others, come on!"

* * *

Erik was _done_ with this shit.

He was _done_ with his batshit crazy double, he was _done_ with their weird Magic tools, he was _done_ with that damn attraction park, and he was _done_ with this fucking world of nonsense.

Since _when_ could _lollipops_ actually _stick to people_ so as to _burn off_ their fucking _skin!?_ In fact, all of the damn snacks you usually found in an attraction park were now trying to kill him. _Literally._

 _"Katsu!"_

 _"Fuck!"_

Erik barely avoided the explosion. Not only were all the _snacks_ after his head, but the Doctor's magic tool allowed him to make _everything_ explode.

 _I call bullshit, damn it!_

"E-Erik, you okay!?"

"Stay back!" he snapped, crouching. "Provide long-ranged support!"

"H-hai!"

She pulled out two Keys, calling forth Bootes and Corvus. However, while the Assassin type Spirit appeared in the blink of an eye, the Key of the Crow didn't respond to her call.

"W-what? What's going on…" She shook her head. She'd see about it later. "Bootes! Go support Erik, and analyze the poisons used by our enemy so as to make antidotes, just in case."

"Right away, Miss Lucy."

The Spirit went to the aid of Erik, who gladly took a snack to get back some energy. Not one of those trying to kill him, of course, that would have been stupid. Bootes knew his favorite by now, though, so that was a nice boost.

"Come on, why aren't you working…" muttered Lucy, checking over her Key. Was it damaged in some sort of way? She couldn't see anything. "What- _whoa!"_

Something suddenly collided into her, sending her to the ground. Rubbing her head with a cringe, she looked up to see a small girl now lying on the floor, surely the one who had just run into her.

"Coco! W-wait, Coco! Stop running already!"

 _What's going on?_

* * *

Kaelys wasn't having such a great time either, to be honest.

Her mother's magical tool consisted into a staff that could control weird fogs and smokes, all with different proprieties. The teen was having a hard time avoiding them, and she could never predict what would be the effect if she got caught.

One of her advantages was that, contrarily to what had been said earlier, the blonde Advisor was not trying to kill her. Hell, she wasn't even trying to injure her! It kind of pissed the teen off even more, because what kind of fight was that? But then again, she still remembered her promise to Loke. If she hadn't killed that stupid Doctor when he kidnapped her, then she sure as hell wouldn't break that promise with her mother, of all people.

She wasn't worth it.

The girl couldn't use her Magic on the staff, which was annoying. She couldn't approach the woman enough to engage her in physical combat either. Right now, she could only stay on the defensive. God, she didn't even have her damn scalpel to _at least_ try and actually hurt her!

 **'If you used my power-'**

"Shut up!"

Shirokage had been nagging at her since the beginning of the battle. He had no idea whatsoever as to what exactly had happened between the two, but he was obviously enjoying the family feud.

 _"Invisible Scythe!"_ Macbeth's spell was easily deflected, though. "My attacks are useless," she grunted, crouching down. Farther away, the smoke retracted into her mother's staff. "What…"

Then there was the shift. Her eyes glassed over, she straightened. It had been a while since the second personality took over, and it had been even longer since the Advisor saw the process. When she noticed the suddenly blank look on her daughter's face, she instantly recognized the danger she had just gotten in.

The _other_ Kaelys was a strategist. She always won and, most of all, she didn't talk out loud about her plans like she usually did.

"Your staff has a time limit." It wasn't even a question.

Elena straightened a little, brandishing the magical tool once more.

"No, not that… a limit of attacks per minute? No…" The teen narrowed her eyes, the sole emotion she was expressing. "No. You actually have a limit of different smokes, don't you? You keep using the same ones over and over again. I didn't notice it before, but you only have five different smokes. A blue one that can harden to catch people or objects, and a black one that can block out the senses. You've also used a green one and an orange one, and I can only guess you have a fifth that you haven't revealed yet... Now, how about we up our game a bit?"

On which she Requiped her Book.

 _"Sound Wall!"_

The explosion made the ground cave in. Taken by surprise, the Advisor lost her footing, and Kaelys took the opportunity to use her Telekinesis and fully lift the piece of broken ground the woman was standing on, throwing it aside. She couldn't use her Magic directly on the blonde, but she'd work around.

As her mother was sent crashing into the nearest building, though, the whole amusement park started trembling violently. A few seconds later, amongst the rubbles and the dust, rose a gigantic monster.

Kaelys instantly switched back. "The hell is that thing!?"

And then, to her greatest horror, she saw it throwing a very familiar celestial mage aside.

"Lucy-nee!"

As she started flying towards the two to try and intervene, she avoided the blue smoke. She flew passed the black one, narrowly dodging the green one and almost flying right into the orange one. Then, before her rose a red smoke. As she tried to approach it, fire burst from it in waves.

"Oh, come on!"

Gritting her teeth, she closed her eyes and flew through. The fire instantly started burning through her clothes –from which there wasn't much less, seriously. She landed back onto the ground as she felt pain flaring all over her face. Alarm bells started ringing in her head when she realized that the fire kept on burning, even though she actively tried to suffocate it.

"Eternal flame, seriously!?"

She ditched her cloak and ripped her sleeves, throwing them away. The fire burning the skin of her face finally died down, the burns healing on their own.

"Guess that Demon is good at something. Though, I'll need to ask for some clothes to Lucy-nee, honestly," she muttered, rubbing her sore face.

As she tried to move, though, a wave of dizziness washed over her. Stumbling, she collapsed to her knees. The ghost of an electrical shock made her limbs stiffen.

"W-what…"

"You were wrong in your assessment. I don't have five smokes..."

Her mother suddenly reappeared before her. She was drenched from head to toes, blood running down her face thanks to a light wound to her temple, and from her staff was now escaping a pink smoke, which was surrounding her.

"I have six."

"W-what's going on…" Black spots started dancing before her eyes. "S-stop it…"

"Blue can solidify. Black takes away your senses. Orange slows you down. Green sucks out your Magic. Red burns until there is nothing left to burn. And pink… pink takes away your will."

"What…?" Kaelys felt sluggish. The ground was shaking under her, but she couldn't remember _why._ "I-I'm not… I'm not…"

"It's only temporary, of course," the blonde sighed, running an hand through her damp hair. "But it'll last long enough for us to finally accomplish our mission and be done with this whole ordeal."

There was a scream in the distance. Kaelys frowned. That was Lucy's, wasn't it? Then why? Why couldn't she move? She needed to go help her, she knew that, but she just… didn't _want_ to…

"Now sleep."

She closed her eyes.

* * *

"Sunshine… what the actual _fuck!?"_

For only answer, the Celestial mage screamed again. Erik groaned, rubbing his temples in mild annoyance as Bootes watched his Master getting thrown around by what seemed to be a gigantic octopus monster.

"I leave you alone for _ten fucking seconds…"_ The Dragon Slayer wanted to just leave and be done with it.

With the help of Bootes, overpowering Doctor Cobra had been child's play. But, as soon as he tried to return to Lucy's side, he found the blonde facing that beast.

"ERIK!" The girl screeched, holding tightly to one of the tentacles. "COME HELP ME OR I SWEAR TO GOD I'LL MAKE YOU EAT SOME _LUSH_ PRODUCTSWHEN WE GET BACK HOME!"

The man stiffened at the threat.

She'd do it. _Hell,_ she'd do it.

"I'd suggest for you to take her… advice," proposed Bootes in a flat tone. "Miss Lucy is known for keeping her word, after all. Myself shall take my leave. Good luck."

And as Lucy screamed again, and as the octopus monster cackled, and as a random kid started crying in the background, and as Doctor Cobra kept on laughing like a madman, and as _why the ever loving fuck is Beth chatting with the fire-dick instead of helping?_ and as Bootes left him alone to deal with everything… Erik found himself wondering one more time exactly _why_ he ever thought joining Fairy Tail was a good idea.

 _I'm not nearly insane enough for this crap._

* * *

"So you guys were in that weird tower too?"

"Too?"

"Erza went there before escaping and joining Fairy Tail. We've got loads of trouble when Jellal tried to bring her back, though, so we kind of ended up destroying it."

"… you're kidding, right?"

* * *

Somewhere else in the amusement park, Gray was still fighting Sugar Boy. However, seeing as he's kind of a background character right now, we'll check up on him later.

* * *

"Now sleep."

She closed her eyes.

 **'Kid, I swear to God, if you fall for this stupid circus trick then I won't ever forgive you'**

Her head throbbed violently. The Magic clouding her judgment suddenly vanished, and she inhaled sharply as the urgency of the situation came back to her.

She snarled.

"You _bitch!"_

The woman, startled, could do nothing as her daughter sucker-punched her right in the face, sending her to the ground. Holding a bloody nose, she then lifted her eyes to the teen now towering over her, terror slowly filling her veins.

Kaelys was going to _kill_ her.

...

...

...

"… when was the last time you thought of me as your daughter…?"

Elena stiffened.

"W-what?"

"When was the last time you thought of me as your daughter, and not as a mistake you keep trying to make up for?" repeated the girl, tone harsher.

Her heart clenched at the question, but the Advisor couldn't find an answer. Then, Kaelys raised her arms, and the woman paled at the sight.

"T-those are-"

"Electroconvulsive therapy. Real nasty business, let me tell you," the girl swallowed, her throat dry as herself looked at her scars. "You thought they'd help me, but they messed me up even more. I can't sleep alone anymore, you know? I'm too scared that they'll come back." She took a step forward, her traits hardening. "I can't eat or drink without checking for drugs, either. I'm too scared to end up defenseless again. I can't watch a storm or even stand the sight of lightning. It brings back bad memories that I just can't escape from." She was angry. She was angry and tired and damn it! She just wanted this to be over with. "I can't go out in public areas without fearing that someone will attack me. I can't go anywhere without a weapon, 'cause I'm scared that I won't be strong enough to keep my freedom. I just can't trust people because I'm _terrified_ that they'll end up betraying me like you and Miss Kelly and even that damned Doctor and _everyone before_ did. Everything is a trigger for me. I've got nightmares at night, I've got nightmares all day along too. I can still feel the pain of the burns, still feel the drugs in my systems, still feel the bindings eating my wrists, still feel my own blades slicing my skin, still feel the fear and the disgust and the rage and the hate and- and- and I just want this to be _over!_ Can't you understand that!?"

Tears rolled down her cheeks, and she wiped them away angrily. Unable to stop herself, she roughly tore off her eyepatch, revealing the yellow orb as she threw it aside.

"I'm so tired of being scared every fucking second of my life! I was so hell-bent on becoming stronger that I sacrificed my friends for power, and guess what? It worked, damn it! It worked, but at what price!? I've contracted with a _Demon,_ of all things, and all because I couldn't stand the thought of being weak again. I couldn't stand being _afraid_ anymore. Because… because each time things seem to get better, each time things seem to work out, then _you guys_ come back and fuck up everything! All of my efforts, all of my friends' efforts, _for naught,_ because _you guys_ can't take a fucking hint! I'm out of your hair! I'm done with everything, with all of you! I wanted to just leave it at that, but _you guys_ can't let me go and if you can't do that, then how the hell am I supposed to!?"

"K-Kaelys, what do you mean by-"

"That Doctor came back," she bit out. "Kidnapped me. Tried to destroy me. Tried to kill my family. He went completely bonkers, and-" She shook her head. "But that's not the point! All I want is to be in peace! And maybe…" She took a deep breath to calm down. "Maybe I _don't_ deserve this. After everything I've done and that I still can't regret, maybe I _don't_ deserve to be happy. The thing is, though... Fairy Tail taught me that second chances existed. It taught me that sometimes, forgiving demands much more strength than hating for the rest of your life! And I don't- I don't _want_ to hurt any longer! I don't _want_ to waste my entire life because of a past I had no control over!"

The teen clenched her fists as in the back, the monster's screech echoed. She had so many things to say, so many things to yell, so many things that she wanted to get rid of… but she didn't have the time anymore.

She had a mission, after all.

"I won't ever forgive you," she then stated, serious. Elena lowered her head. "But I just… I don't want to hate you anymore. It takes too much time… too much energy… to much of myself. A lot has been taken from me already, and so I can't let my past take anything more. I wish I could kill you… hurt you… or so I _did._ For a very long time. Maybe I still do, who knows? But right now, my friends are more important."

With that, Kaelys started heading for the beast. As she passed her mother, who was still kneeling with her head held low, she stopped.

"… I'm sorry it ever had to turn out like this. In another life… I'm sure we would have been a very happy family. Farewell, Elena Cloves."

As her daughter vanished to the aid of her friends… her _family,_ Elena choked and pressed her forehead against the floor, a wail clawing its way out of her throat but never escaping her lips.

Only now did she understood that her daughter wasn't coming back.

* * *

 **So, a lot of angst in this chapter. As you might have all seen, I'm utter crap when it comes to fighting scenes. Please, don't hate me too much. I still hope it was to your liking, even if it felt a little... blurred? I don't know. Anyway, I'm looking forward to your reviews, and I'll see you guys in a bit!**

 **Toddles~**


	24. To Fight For What's Right

**Whew! Alright people, here's the big part of the Edolas Arc, and its conclusion too! A lot is going to happen in this chapter, so I'd suggest you take your time reading it. I tried to make it as clear as possible, promise!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

When Kaelys finally found her friends, the monster had already been beaten by Lucy and Erik. Natsu and Macbeth were also there, but Gray was still missing.

"Is everyone alright?" she called, landing next to them.

"Kae!" Relief was evident on Lucy's traits. "Are you okay? What happened to…"

"I left her there," the teen shrugged. "She won't come back for me. Or at least, I hope so. Where's Gray?"

"He went after the pink-armored guy who stole a key that they'll use to crash the Lacrima into Extalia," resumed Erik, ruffling her hair. "Damn, you're a mess, kid."

"Gee, thanks," she rolled her eyes. "But shouldn't we… you know, go help him or something?"

The four exchanged looks, before shrugging. Kaelys sweatdropped a little, before her eyes landed on the little girl that had joined the group.

"Who's the kid?" she blinked.

"She's the one who stole the key in the first place," informed the blonde, placing a comforting hand over the girl's shoulder. "Her name's Coco."

"Y-you're Lady Elena's daughter, right?" then risked the kid. She looked down as the teen's eyes hardened a little. "Sorry! It's just… she always talked a lot about you, so…"

"I see," the black-haired mage simply replied with a clipped tone.

Coco shrunk even more so on herself, understanding that was the wrong thing to say. However, no one commented on it any further, seeing as a small explosion and a sudden cold wind made a chill run down their spines.

"You know what? Maybe we _should_ check up on Gray," proposed Lucy, sheepish.

"No need, he's done," replied Erik, eyes narrowed at the entrance through which the Ice Make mage had disappeared earlier. "He's coming back, but the key-"

"Guys!"

As told, Gray was quickly running back to them. His shirt had mysteriously disappeared in the meantime, and he was holding a key made of ice.

"The situation changed!" he panted when reaching them. "We-we can use the key! We can use it to save our friends."

"What?"

"Their plan was to use the Dragon Chain Cannon to pull the Lacrima island and ram it into Extalia. But! If we crash the Dragon Chain Cannon, infused with Dragon Slayer Magic, directly into the Lacrima…"

"It'll be destroyed and everyone will go back to normal!" understood Erik, his eyes widening a little. "And the Cannon's just ahead, you said?"

"I didn't say it, but yes," confirmed the Ice Make mage, too used to the man's ability by now. "We have a problem, though."

"No, wait, let me guess: something or someone is stopping anyone from entering," deadpanned Kaelys.

"We can just bust our way through, right?" proposed Natsu. "We can all use our Magic anyway."

"Not gonna work," Gray retorted. "There's some kind of 'wizard canceler' device that makes it so Magic won't work."

"We won't know until we try!"

"We need a plan first!"

"I'm with Natsu on this one, we can figure things out when we get there," however agreed Kaelys.

"But if we end up all stuck at the same place, then it won't end well," replied Erik. Then, he straightened, snapping his eyes to the entrance of the amusement park. "Someone's coming."

"Who-"

"There you are."

All mages tensed as a familiar redhead stepped out of the shadows.

"E-Erza!" choked Natsu.

"Wait… that's the Edolas's-"

"Then… our Erza… lost?"

* * *

The redhead clad in a dark armor stopped before the gigantic door, guarded by a dozen of soldiers. She was dragging with her Natsu and Gray, who were tied up and unconscious.

"Halt!" one of the soldiers stopped her. "We have for orders not to let anyone through!"

"What?" seethed the Knight. "The King is inside, isn't he? I have the key. I need to give it to him immediately! Let me through!"

"We can't-"

"Let her in, she's with me."

"A-Advisor Cloves!"

The blonde woman appeared. Behind her, caught by the blue smoke of her staff, was a trashing black-haired teen. Many of the men shuddered in fright when their eyes met her mismatched orbs, the yellow one glinting maliciously.

"We have to speak with the King at once," she simply stated. "Open the door."

"R-right away!"

The door opened, and the two women and their hostages pass through. Inside, numerous soldiers and the King were waiting.

::

 _"_ _Then… our Erza… lost?"_

 _"_ _No, it's the real one," Macbeth stifled a yawn._

 _Everyone stared at him for a second._

 _"_ _He's right," confirmed Erik, raising an eyebrow at his friend. "How the hell did you know that, though?"_

 _"I placed an illusion upon the group so that no one could see through. She broke through, because of her fake eye._ _Can we get a move on, now? I believe we still have an entire city to save," drawled the black-haired wizard._

 _"_ _Aa," Erza agreed, and everyone let out a sight of relief. It really was her. "I apologize for scaring you. I however have a plan to remedy to our situation. Just as you did, they will believe me to be the Erza from this world. As such, they will let me through with no problem."_

 _"_ _It's too dangerous for you to go alone," protested Lucy._

 _The redhead jabbed her thumb Natsu and Gray's way. "Hence why I am taking those two hostages."_

 _"_ _That's… actually a good plan," nodded Erik, somewhat surprised. He had expected them to just trash the place and be done with it. "Since raw strength won't be able to get us through, we'll simply sneak inside."_

 _"_ _Exactly. Before that, though…" Without warning, Erza let her hand fall on Kaelys's shoulder. The teen flinched away instinctively, a shock running through her body as the memory of the Edo-Erza impaling her played in her mind. "Kaelys."_

 _"_ _W-what?"_

 _Suddenly, Erza bowed deeply. "I apologize! Had I intervened earlier, you would not have had suffered such injury! I can't forgive myself for my carelessness! Please, feel free to punish me!"_

 _The teen sweatdropped at that, her instinctual fear vanishing in the blink of an eye as understanding dawned on her. Edo-Erza had been the one who hurt her, not her Erza._

 _Not her friend._

 _"_ _That won't be necessary," assured the teen with a small smile. "Is it safe to assume that you kicked her ass to avenge me?"_

 _"_ _Of course!"_

 _"_ _Then all's good, right?"_

 _Erza, obviously relieved from a burden, straightened and smiled back. Then, she Requiped a rope into her hands, and turned to the two boys, who started sweating._

 _"_ _Now, on to the plan…"_

::

"Is it true that you bring the key?" the King asked, exchanging a mild glare with the still struggling girl while he was at it.

"It was destroyed, but do not worry," answered flatly Erza.

"What?"

She threw Gray at his feet, and the boy hissed in pain. "This one can make a key."

"And he is…"

"An Earthland wizard. A friend of the Dragon Slayers."

"Are you saying… that they have something to do with the disappearance of the Lacrima in the public square?"

"Exactly."

"Fine, then. Activate the Dragon Chain Cannon immediately. Advisor Cloves!"

"Hai?"

"Why did you bring that _thing_ here?"

::

 _"_ _Now, on to the plan…"_

 _They paled, but knew that trying to escape would be hopeless. As the Titania tied them up and good, though, soft steps echoed on the pavement. They all tensed as none other than the Advisor appeared, watching them with no emotion whatsoever._

 _"_ _This won't work," she warned, her voice hoarse. Blood was still coating her face, but it was no longer flowing out. "The soldiers know what to expect. They won't let you through."_

 _"_ _And why should it concern you?" snapped Lucy, stepping forward to shield Kaelys from her mother's view. "You haven't exactly been helping until now."_

 _"_ _I made a mistake!" bit back the blue-eyed beauty. She lowered her gaze. "I-I was blind… to everything. I made a mistake and now, I want to make up for it. Because… because you're my dau- Kaelys's, family. And I… I won't ever forgive myself, if I take that away from her too. So please, let me help you. That's… the least I can do."_

 _There was a moment of tensed silence. Then, Erik sighed, scratching the back of his head._

 _"_ _She's telling the truth," he simply stated. "And she's right, too: the soldiers have for orders to let no one but her or a weird wrinkled guy inside. We won't make it in without her."_

 _"_ _I see. However… I believe it should be up to Kaelys," then pointed out the redhead, serious. She glanced at the teen, who was staring at the ground, her bangs hiding the higher-half of her face. "Whatever you decide, we can work with. You don't have to feel obligated to do this."_

 _The teen's throat felt dry. "I… if Erik says we can trust her… then so be it. It's not like I'm expecting anything much from that woman anyway."_

 _The Advisor recoiled as if she had just been slapped, but said nothing._

 _"_ _Very well," accepted the Requip mage. "Anything to propose?"_

 _"_ _Y-yes. You will still be able to get inside if you are with me. They all trust me, seeing as… I'm the one who came up with the Lacrima plan and such, along with Byro. And of course, because I'm the only one who doesn't have a double, so to speak," explained the woman, taking a deep breath. "I… propose we take Kaelys with us. You see, I believe her Telekinesis can be of some use…"_

::

Elena bit her lower lip, glancing back to her angered daughter. She was cursing and hissing, and she wondered for a moment if all of it really was just her acting skills.

"I am afraid I could no leave her alone at the moment. Also, the Dragon Chain Cannon was also created as a catalyst of Magic. It will allow me to nullify her Magic without killing her. As we _agreed_ to when I first started working on the plan, if you remember correctly," recalled sharply the blonde.

"Yes, yes," he waved his hand, annoyed. "Just make sure she doesn't interfere."

"Of course."

Then, as Erza threated Natsu so as to "force" Gray to cooperate, the blonde stepped back. While the soldiers and the King watched in mild awe as the Ice Make mage created a key, she used their lack of attention to free Kaelys.

"You know what to do," she simply said, low enough for no one to hear.

"Let me make one thing clear," the girl hissed slightly. "This does _not_ mean you are forgiven. _At all_."

"I know."

The black-haired mage nodded, before reporting her attention onto Gray. He had just activated the weapon. Magic started emanating from the Cannon.

 _Almost time…_

* * *

.

.

The whole castle started shaking on its foundations.

"The castle is transforming? What in the world is going on!?" exclaimed Lucy.

"It's started!" panted Coco. "The Dragon Chain Cannon has been activated!"

"What insane idiot came up with this!?"

 _Kaelys's mother, obviously. What a bi- no, shut up brain. B_ _reath, Lucy._

 _It's almost time._

* * *

.

.

"I'm telling you, we're lost!"

"No, we're not!"

"Yes, we are!"

Macbeth and Erik had been at it for a few minutes now. Trying to find their way back into the underground tunnels, they had ended up loosing their way.

"We should have taken right after the left, left, right, left turns!" the maroon-haired man wanted to tear his hair out.

"No, it was left after right, left, left, left turns!" retorted the Reflector mage, growing annoyed too.

"Since when have you gotten this insufferable!?"

"Since when have you gotten so pigheaded!?"

Before any of them could reply, though, the whole castle started shaking.

"Great, now what!?" snapped Erik, leaning against the wall so as not to loose his balance.

"Now, we hurry," retorted Macbeth, already moving ahead. "Let's go."

"Okay, we- _no, we have to take left_ , _damn it!"_

* * *

"Fire!"

 _Shit, I can't change the aim!_ Gray panicked internally.

"Natsu, now!" Erza suddenly freed the pink-haired boy.

"Hai!"

His entire body encased in flames, a grin stretched his lips.

 _"_ _Wing Slash of the Fire Dragon!"_

With a single punch, he blew away half of the soldiers. Using the confusion, Erza moved forward and trapped the King, holding a blade to his throat.

"Stop the launch!" she ordered.

"What treachery is this, Erza!?" choked the King.

With a smirk, she Requiped into her usual armor. "I am Erza Scarlet. Earthland's Erza! Now, Kaelys!"

"On it!"

The teen flew towards the weapon. Using her telekinesis, she started focusing on the very Magic of the Cannon. It was an extremely risky move, and she had never tried controlling Magic itself before, but it was the only solution they had at the moment.

Bands of sweat started rolling down her temples as the Magic started trashing against her control. Holding on, she managed to find the catalyst of the machine through the particles of Magic and, without hesitation, switched its aim for the giant Lacrima.

"SCARLET!"

As soon as she was done, though, none other than Knightwalker fell onto the little group and attacked her double, who was forced to let the King go so as to properly defend herself.

"His Highness has been freed!"

"Revert the aim back!"

"No you don't!" Blue smoke suddenly trapped the King, and all eyes widened.

"Cloves! What are you doing!?" he seethed.

"I am doing what's _right!"_ she gritted her teeth, holding on. "This farce has gone on for long enough! Stop this madness at once!"

"I shan't!" he yelled, eyes bloodshot. "An eternity of Magic power is what we need!"

"No, you don't-"

"It is what _I_ need if I wish to save my son!"

Silence fell upon all of those present, even the two Erza stopping mid-fight.

Had all of this… been done because of his son, still in a coma?

"Doctor Cobra told me it was the only way!" he kept on screeching. "That only a limitless amount of Magic could finally wake him! You've done the same, haven't you!? You were ready to sacrifice those Earthland people to have your daughter back, so don't come and tell me I can't do the same for my son!"

"But… that's not right…" Kaelys frowned, taking a step back. "It's Macbeth's double, the one in a coma… but he was-"

Suddenly, a slow clapping echoed in the room.

"Wow… I sure didn't expect you to spill the beans so quickly, _King."_

From the shadows stepped out none other than Doctor Cobra, a sick smile twisting his lips.

"But you are right!" he claimed, rather theatrically. "To wake Prince Macbeth, the only way is to obtain unimaginable power so as to achieve successful results with my experiments. So, what are you waiting for? Chop, chop, we still have a Lacrima to destroy~"

"No!"

But the soldiers, snapped out of their shock, had returned to their duties and were now assaulting from all sides to reach the weapon. Kaelys couldn't defend fully as the Doctor joined in. Forced to avoid his poisoned attacks, she left her position and all could only watch as they reverted the aim of the Cannon, before firing.

"Now, we shall succeed!" laughed madly Faust.

The door of the throne room as suddenly thrown open.

"F-father...?"

Time seemed to stop. Then, the King's eyes widened as he took in the sight of his second son, standing before him. Well, kind of. He was supported by who seemed to be his double from Earthland, but he was… very much _awake._

"Please…" he was pale, his voice weak because of the lack of use, but all could hear him perfectly. "Stop this… stop this madness… you can't keep on hurting people like this..."

"H-how… it's not… this…" the King no longer knew what to think, or what to do. Was it yet another Magic trick? Was it-

"Prince Macbeth never fell into a coma!" suddenly announced Erik, stepping in. He held up a vial for all to see. " _This_ is a special poison, which plunges the victim into a death-like state. With calculated doses, it is possible to keep a person trapped into a coma without risking their life. And _that_ is what that Cobra guy of yours has been doing for the passed few _years_."

Faust paled even more, if possible. Slowly, he turned to face the mad Doctor, who was now watching everything unfold with a blank expression.

"Cobra… is this true?"

After a heartbeat, a cruel smile stretched his lips. "Guess I'm caught, uh? And that's too bad, everything was going so smoothly too! But well, I guess I still win after all, right?" And he started laughing.

"N-no! Guards, arrest him!"

Without a warning, though, the exterior wall suddenly crumbled, a gigantic creature coming in by force.

"Come on, guys!" That was Lucy's voice.

"Whoa, Lucy, did you turn into a monster?" exclaimed excitedly Natsu.

"Moron!" Erik whacked him behind the head. "Let's go!"

Macbeth handed his double to the nearest guards before following his guildmates, the whole of them climbing onto the monster.

"T-that's a Legion!"

"How can that girl ride it?"

"Impossible!"

"That Legion is mine!" announced proudly Coco, popping up besides Lucy.

"C-Coco!?" gasped the King.

"Go and stop the Lacrima!" then exclaimed Elena, raising her staff at Doctor Cobra. "We'll handle him."

Kaelys simply stared at her for a second, before looking away as the Legion took off, taking their group higher and higher. As they left the castle and started gaining altitude, heading as fast as they could towards the Lacrima, Kaelys couldn't help but wonder if being an asshole was a parent's requirement.

* * *

.

.

"Hurry! We can't let it collide!"

The Legion hit the Lacrima. Kaelys instantly started using her telekinesis to try and stop the gigantic floating island from moving. It _did_ slow down, but it wasn't enough.

"Everyone, release your Magic power at once!" ordered Erza, Requiping her sword.

"Hai!"

Natsu literally pushed against the Lacrima, soon followed by Erik and Gray. Macbeth used his Reflector Magic to try and redirect the island, while Kaelys kept on pushing with her telekinesis. As much as they tried, though, nothing seemed to work.

"It's no use!"

"We're about to collide!"

"Brace for it!"

They wouldn't give up, though. They wouldn't be Fairy Tail if they did. And so, stuck between the island on which rested Extalia and the one of the Lacrima, the wizards kept on pushing. Soon enough, they were joined by Gajeel.

"Why haven't you returned everyone to normal like us, yet?" grunted Erza, arms shaking under the physical strain. "You have to hurry!"

"It's because of that black cat!"

"It doesn't matter, it'd take too much time now!" pointed Gray, sweat glistening on his forehead.

"We have no choice but to stop it!" replied Lucy, pushing along with everyone. "We're totally going to stop it, damn it!"

"When we get back, I better be paid for this," growled Erik.

"Just shut up and push," grunted Macbeth.

"We can do it, we can do it, we can do it…" muttered Kaelys.

 **'** **How you guys are still alive is a real wonder'**

"Shut up!"

"Coco!" That was Panther Lily, still up there. "What are you doing here!?"

"I-I realized… that I don't need eternal Magic power…" she answered, smiling up at him. "I just want eternal smiles!"

"What foolishness! You'll never be able to stop it!" he snarled. "Get out of here!"

"We'll definitely stop it…" retorted Natsu, pushing even harder. "Even if this body crumbles to bits, I'll stop it with my soul!"

"Just shut up and push!" barked Kaelys.

They couldn't give in. They were so close to saving everyone, so close to being able to go back home, so close to _winning…_

"C-Carla!"

Out of nowhere, the white cat had joined them and was now pushing along.

"I'm not going to give up… on Fairy Tail… or on Extalia!" she claimed. "I'm gonna protect them both!"

And then, another Exceed joined them, surprising them all.

He started crying as he pushed along. "I want… I want to protect it too! And I bet… I bet everyone does too!"

And suddenly, the sky was lacerated by beams of light. More and more started flying, and it took Kaelys a few seconds to realize that they were all flying cats, all lead by Wendy. As everyone started pushing and try to save their kingdom, Magic started emanating from the Lacrima.

"Do it!"

"We can make it!"

And then, light blinded them.

They were all blown away. Managing to catch her fall, Kaelys quickly made sure that all of her friends were safe, before turning to the Lacrima they had finally managed to stop, someone.

Only, there no longer _was_ a Lacrima.

"W-what happened?" she gasped, floating down to Lucy's sides.

"The Lacrima has disappeared!"

"What's going on?"

"It has been returned to Earthland."

At the new voice, all Exceeds and humans alike lifted their gazes from the crumbling island to the newcomer.

There, riding a Legion, was none other than Mystogan.

"I've searched for the remaining tear from the giant Anima to return everything to the way it was," he announced. "I apologize for my lateness. Without everyone's help, I wouldn't have made it. I give you my thanks."

"The way it was?" repeated Happy, as confused as everyone.

"That's right. The Lacrima has passed once again through the Anima and returned to how it was in Earthland. Everything is over, now."

As all of the Exceeds started cheering for their now saved kingdom, Kaelys's relief was such that she lost her grip on her Magic for a second. As soon as she started falling, though, one of the cats caught her. He was kind of big, and orange, and…

She saw him somewhere before, she just knew it.

" _Men!"_ he chanted.

"Aw shit." _Now_ she remembered.

"Lily, you saved my life," then stated Mystogan, pulling off the scarf covering his face and his hair. "I am glad I was able to protect your homeland…"

"Thank you very much… Prince." Tears sprang from the General's eyes.

"The First Prince is back!" exclaimed Coco, crying of joy too.

 **'** **Kid, mortal danger ahead, by the way~'**

"Wait, what?"

The teen's eyes widened as, below, she noticed a weird-looking weapon sticking out from under the ground, aiming at the black Exceed's back.

"Watch out!"

Unable to do anything else, she used her powers to move him aside. He escaped the following blow, just barely, and it destroyed one of the islands floating higher, sending debris falling over everyone's heads.

 **"** **This isn't over!"**

"Great, the madman escaped," grunted Erik in annoyance.

"Says his Earthland counterpart," deadpanned Macbeth.

"Shut up!"

"You dare aim your weapon at me, the First Prince of Edolas?" Mystogan narrowed his eyes. The voice was coming from all around, none could pinpoint his location. "Show yourself!"

 **"** **Who cares if you're the First Prince or the Third one? You just had to intervene at the worst possible moment, didn't you!? And I was** ** _this close_** **to making it too! Damn you!"**

"Where is he?"

"I can't see him!"

"What have you done to the King, the Second Prince and the others?" then asked Kaelys, tensing a little.

 **"** **They're out of my way. Now, you might have put a stop to my initial plan… but I can still get rid of all of you!"**

The air was heavy with Magic, almost suffocating them. The ground started shaking and, from under the rubbles, some sort of gigantic cocoon came out.

"What's that?" panicked Lucy.

"Some magical weapon?" wondered Gray.

 **"** **No matter who stands in my way, I'll get all of you! And then, I'll use Anima again and take back that Magic, no matter the price!"**

A cackle followed as the… thing, suddenly burst open.

 **"** **Bow before the new King of Edolas, and resign to your total and complete annihilation!"**

Below them was now standing… an enormous mechanical dragon.

"I've got a really weird feeling of déjà vu," sweatdropped Kaelys.

 **'** **You're telling me you already faced a gigantic mechanical dragon set to destroy any living being in the area before?'**

"Yes."

 **'…** **alright, cool enough. Now what, though?'**

"That shape… that form… that power…"

"It can be none other!" Obviously, the Exceeds knew what that weapon was.

"My word…"

"T-that's… that's…"

 _"_ _Droma Anim!"_

Then, out of nowhere appeared the Royal Army, riding Legions.

 **"** **Soldiers, capture all of the Exceeds! Don't let even one escape, or it'll be your heads that I'll take!"**

"HAI!"

They started shooting light beams. As the Exceeds scattered and tried to escape, the one holding Kaelys quickly dropped her back onto their own Legion before making a run for it, chanting 'men' all along under his breath.

"Crap, what do we do?" Kaelys wanted to tear her hair off in frustration. "I thought we stopped everything when revealing that guy's plans!"

"He somehow managed to vanquish the King, and the Second Prince wasn't in a fighting shape," replied Erza, frowning. "Knightwalker and Kaelys's- the Advisor, aren't there, so we can only assume they too were beaten. He must have taken control of the whole army afterwards, they have no choice but to obey, what with him possessing such power."

"The Exceeds are defenseless right now," Mystogan crouched into a fighting stance, grabbing one of his staffs. "If we don't protect them, then…"

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" pressed Gray.

"Right!"

 **"** **Protect them while dodging my attacks? Pff, I won't let a single one of you escape at all! I'll blast all of you to bits!"**

The armored dragon fired at them. Before it could hit its target, though, the attack was deflected by Mystogan.

"Go!" he ordered, facing their enemy. _"Three Layered Magic Circles… Mirror Water!"_

The attack was returned to the weapon. However, everyone's hopes were shattered in the following seconds, as the dragon revealed itself to be intact.

 **"** **That tickles!"**

"Not even a scratch?" Erik's eyes widened.

 **"** **Exactly! This is the power of Wizard Canceler! No matter what wizard faces it, no Magic will work on Droma Anim!"**

Mystogan was blasted away, and more and more Exceeds were getting caught. Cursing loudly, Kaelys started flying to try and get as many as she could. She caught one, two, then three, barely avoiding the beams of light. Moving fast and from one side to the other, she started bringing them to the ground, where they could hide behind the numerous debris.

She kept at it for almost a minute, until one of the beams hit too close and made her loose her balance. As she managed to catch her fall, she found herself facing one of the soldiers, who was aiming directly at her.

 **'** **Aaaand we're doomed. Just fucking great'**

"Get lost!" she practically snarled. However, the beam was suddenly deflected by some sort of shield.

 **'** **Since when can you do** ** _that!?'_**

"Since now, I guess. Now let me focus!"

 **'** **To your right'**

She dropped to avoid another beam, catching yet another Exceed in the process. As she brought it to the ground and it thanked her profusely, she glanced back up to where her friends where still stuck.

No, wait, the Dragon Slayers were no longer up there.

"They're attacking head on the Droma Anim!" she realized, eyes widening at the spectacular sight. Attacking together, the four of them were in amazing sync, and apparently managing some damage. "Of _course_ Dragon Slaying Magic would work…"

Something suddenly collided into her. Yelping in surprise as she was lifted into the air, she then realized that it was that Lily cat, and that he more than probably saved her life seeing as the place where she had been standing a second earlier exploded.

"Whoa… thanks for the save," she beamed up at him.

"I should be the one thanking you," he shook his head, flying farther away. "You are the one who saved me."

"I am?"

The Exceed sweatdropped a little when he realized that she had honestly forgotten about that –which had been but a minute ago, mind you- before dropping the subject. The Advisor had talked many times of her daughter, including the… psychological issues, so he shouldn't be surprised.

Then again, she didn't seem exactly mentally ill-

"I said to shut the hell up! Why do you keep nagging, damn it? I said- _no, this is NOT a joint custody of my body!"_

Nevermind.

* * *

They were fighting back the soldiers, but it was growing difficult. With the four Dragon Slayers occupied by the Droma Anim, Kaelys kind-of kidnapped by Lily and the Exceeds still flying away for dear life, Lucy, Gray, Erza and Macbeth were having a hard time. Their enemy was strong in numbers, weapons and energy, while the four of them were thoroughly weakened because of their efforts to stop the Lacrima a while before.

"We-we won't be able to fight for much longer!" warned Gray, blowing away a few more.

"We have to keep fighting!" Lucy retorted, wielding her _Fleuve d'Étoiles_.

Macbeth was suddenly blown away, crashing into a tree.

"Are you alright?" Erza called, sword-to-sword with another soldier.

"My main Magic doesn't work on their weapons," he grunted, annoyed. He wiped some blood from the corner of his mouth, genuinely annoyed by now. "And I can't manage grand-scale illusions because of all the Magic already disturbing the area."

"Then we need to-"

"Erza, watch out!"

The redhead's eyes widened as numerous Magic bullets were suddenly aimed her way. Deflecting most of them with her sword, she however got hit in the arm. She hissed in pain, taking a step back. Before she could counterattack, though, the men were already taken out by… none other than her double.

"K-Knightwalker!"

"You were careless, Scarlet," spat the General, glaring at her. "And just so you know, _our_ fight isn't over yet. We've got a score to settle, but this _treason_ will have to be handled first and foremost."

"Where's the King?"

"His Majesty… was poisoned." Shame was clear on her features. "The Second Prince is with him, trying to find an antidote in the Doctor's lab."

"We can have Erik and Wendy take a look at him once we're done here," proposed Gray, jogging to join them. "They'll surely be able to heal him."

"For that, though, we'll have to act fast," retorted Lucy, unable to look at Knightwalker.

 _"_ _Where is my daughter."_

A chill ran down all of the wizard's spines, including the two Erza.

The five of them slowly turned around to see Elena Cloves, waves of killing intent rolling off of her.

"S-she's been taken to safety b-by that General Exceed of yours," answered Gray, a band of sweat going down his temple.

Instantly, the killing intent vanished. "Oh, good." She then raised an eyebrow, twirling her staff into her hands. "Well, what are you guys waiting for? This battle won't be won if you all stand there like wallflowers!"

 _She's more like Kaelys than she might think,_ the four Fairy Tail mages sweatdropped at that.

* * *

"Lily, Kaelys."

"P-Prince!"

"Oh, Mystogan!"

The blue-haired man smiled at the two of them. They had managed to get away from the battle safely, but had been arguing when he found them.

"Tell him I can fight!" exclaimed the teen.

"Tell her it's too dangerous!" retorted the Exceed.

"Children, please." He was amused, even though it wasn't the best of times. "Kaelys, we shall leave the others to battle the Droma Anim. Natsu, Gajeel, Wendy and… Erik, right? They can handle it."

"But-"

"I need your help, and Lily's," he cut her off. "For my final work."

Kaelys and Panther Lily exchanged a look.

* * *

A war cry echoed onto the battlefield, stopping time for a moment.

"Look! Edolas' Fairy Tail!" then recognized Lucy, relief flowing over her.

It was them. It really was them. They were all here, now engaging into the fight for their kingdom, their country, their world.

"Earth-Lucy, what is going on?" snapped a familiar blonde, running to her. She was gesturing to _Erza Knightwalker_ and the _Advisor_ fighting with them. "Why are they here?"

"Long story short, the King was betrayed by Doctor Cobra who has taken control fo the Royal Army and is trying to take over Edolas," resumed the Celestial mage. At the confused face of her double, she sighed. "They're on our side."

"Alright, I'll warn everyone. Though, I doubt they'll believe me."

* * *

They had reached the castle, which had been fully deserted by the guards. As they entered, though, they found the King and the Second Prince.

"B-brother!" gasped Macbeth's double. "You're finally back!"

"I am glad to see you are fairing well, Macbeth," Jellal smiled at him, though his smile dropped quickly. "What has happened to father?"

"Cobra poisoned him," the black-haired boy looked down. "I am afraid… he doesn't have much more time. I've tried to look for an antidote, but…"

"Once the battle is over, my friends can help him," then assured Kaelys. "Just don't move him around too much until they get here."

Edo-Macbeth stared at her.

And stared.

And stared.

And then _beamed._

"You're so _cute!"_

Frozen in mild terror, Kaelys simply stopped fully thinking as the Second Prince started spinning her around like some ragdoll with a very unnatural exuberance.

"Macbeth, please, let her go," sweatdropped Edo-Jellal. "We have our own mission to accomplish."

"Right, right… sorry~!"

He put her done, and she stumbled back, Lily steadying her. Her eyes were wide, and terror was evident in her stare.

"… Macbeth _hugged_ me…" she whispered, terrified. "He _smiled…"_

"Ah ah, yeah, let's go…" The blue-haired man waved to his younger brother, pushing the teen forward while the Exceed followed behind them.

 _"_ _This world is crazy! He fricking smiled!"_

* * *

"You must be Lucy."

"And you are… Kaelys's mother."

Around them, the battle was dying down. Their forces were winning, and many soldiers had ended up joining their side and started fighting against the mad Doctor's control.

And only now did the two of them found the time to meet properly.

"I don't deserve that name," then refused softly the woman. "I once did, maybe, but it has been a long time since I acted as her mother. To her… I am nothing more than a ghost."

"… you left her," the blonde down-casted her eyes, brimming with anger. "You _hurt_ her. You were ready to _destroy_ her. _Again._ And all for what? For this? Have you even seen how many people got hurt, how many have died already and are still dying, trying to clean up this mess?" She lifted her head, glaring at the other blonde with tears in her eyes. "Kaelys has suffered through _so much_ already! Why can't you guys just give it up already? Why do you always have to come back and hurt her even more!?"

"I NEVER WANTED THIS!" protested the Advisor, clenching her fist. She lowered her head, her bangs shadowing the higher-half of her face. "I never… wanted to hurt her. Not her. _Never_ her. I just… I was disillusioned, believing that we could be the family we once were. But my happiness… isn't hers. And I know I messed up, alright? I know I made mistakes, unforgivable ones, and that's why I'm stopping this _now._ Lucy of Fairy Tail, listen to me closely!"

The woman slammed her staff into the ground, jaw clenched tightly as she held the Celestial mage's gaze once again.

"I had my chance at loving Kaelys, and I failed her." Her throat was dry, the admission leaving a bitter taste of despair and resignation in her mouth. "Do not make the same mistakes I did! I gave up too quickly, I gave in too easily. But _you_ won't! As you said, Kaelys has suffered enough. And while I have no right to tell you this, I shall do it anyway: do not fail her! _Never_ give up on her. _Never_ give in no matter the circumstances. Don't… don't let her go like I did. Because- because you'll regret it just as much as I do today."

She exhaled deeply, before grabbing a small bag hanging to her belt. She then threw it at the Earthland mage, who easily caught it. Raising an eyebrow, she emptied its contents in her hand… and froze.

"That's…"

"I have seen you using these Keys. Those serve your Magic, correct? It is of no use to us, but it will be for you," explained the distressed mother. "I'm not doing this for you, though! Kaelys… Kaelys loves you, and I won't have you die stupidly if I can help it, because _you're_ her family now. _You're_ the one responsible for her safety, her happiness, her _life._ " Gritting her teeth, the woman then kneeled before her, and placed her palms and forehead against the ground. "I am in no place to make such demands… but I _beg_ of you: love my daughter like I couldn't. No. Matter. _What."_

The blonde stared at her for a moment. Then, she glanced back at the black key with a ruby decorating the hilt. Tightening her hold on it, she then looked back to the still-bowing woman and, with a sigh, kneeled next to her. She placed her hand on the blonde's shoulder, startling her.

"I promise." Her voice was strong, and her words were true. "And a Celestial mage… never breaks their promises. Thank you, for letting her go."

"No. Thank _you_ , for ever giving her a chance… like I should have done."

* * *

"This is it…"

"Where are we?"

After having gotten over her shock, Kaelys had quickly pushed the incident in the back of her mind and was now focusing on their mission.

"The chamber that creates the Anima," answered Mystogan.

"Prince, what in the world are you-"

"So, we're going to destroy it?" the teen mused, examining one of the gigantic statues.

 _"_ _What!?"_

The First Prince sighed heavily. "I have observed Earthland for a long time. There was strife, but it was a wonderful world. I am sure they'll accept this…"

"Prince, surely you don't mean… This is too radical!" protested the General. "This is the only way to rid this world of war-"

"If I may…" Kaelys lifted her eyes to the giant ball of Magic above their heads. "It's kind of a weak excuse. If you want to stop the war in your world, then take the matters into your own hands and do something with your own power, not with one stolen from others. If you don't, then you'll never achieve a lasting peace."

"… I will create a world, where people can be open with each other," then announced Edo-Jellal. "I will thrown the Anima into reverse… and rid this world of all of its magic power!"

Kaelys raised her hand. "Meaning we're going back?"

"Meaning you're going back," he confirmed with a small smile.

"Sweet! Let's do this!"

* * *

The Royal Army had been beaten after much fighting. With the help of Fairy Tail, and the support of Knightwalker and the Advisor, and the rebelling soldiers, they had finally been able to achieve victory. However, the four Dragon Slayers were still battling the Droma Anim and, from the looks of it, they were far from winning their battle. As everyone watched it unfold with heavy anticipation, though, all failed to notice the certain change in the atmosphere.

From the ground, Magic started leaking out.

* * *

"The citizens will be in a panic. Not many humans can adapt so quickly to a changing world."

"I did," mumbled Kaelys under her breath.

"That is why they will need a new leader. A new King, for a new world. To soothe the unease of the citizens, and lead them to happiness…"

"A new King… I see," nodded Lily, finally giving in. "And it will be you, Prince?"

"No. Not me," however refused Edo-Jellal. "That would not be possible for me, who did not walk with this world. Furthermore, I have no right. To calm the rioting masses, we need someone to play both the hero, and the villain."

"Hero… and villain…?"

"The one who exposes and punishes the villain who plunged the world into chaos will become a hero, and that hero will unite the people. He'll become King."

"… who will be the villain and the hero?"

"I think you already know that. I am the evil who overthrew the King and stole the magic from this world. Macbeth cannot take over at the moment, he missed too much of his life to be properly suited for the role. But you… _You_ are suited to heal the misunderstandings and prejudice between the races… you will execute me, the one who destroyed the world!"

…

…

…

"Or _not,"_ deadpanned Kaelys.

Both men startled a little, having forgotten about her for a moment.

"You sure are a drama queen," she snorted, coming to stand before him with her arms crossed over her chest. "You're asking a friend to kill you? How much more selfish can you get?"

"I'm not-"

"In the end, you're actually running away, aren't you?" she accused. "Your world is on the verge of entering an age of utter chaos, yet you're ready to leave it at that when _you're_ the one who did it in the first place? That's just _cowardly."_

"I am not running!" snapped the blue-haired man, scowling. "This world needs a new King-"

" _Then be that King!_ You are the First Prince but most of all, the instigator of the chaos that is about to be released upon Edolas," she retorted, roughly poking his chest. "This means that you have responsibilities. That's right, you were gone for a long time. But you know what? That's a good thing! Because that way, you can bring an exterior point of view on the problems, and you can offer solutions that only you can think of because of your time in Earthland. Your people need you, so don't just go throwing your life away because you feel overly dramatic today!"

 _"_ _I do not feel-"_

"Just shut and let me handle it," she huffed, shushing him with an imperious wave of her hand.

Panther Lily could only watch in a mix of annoyance –she was talking to the Prince, for God's sake!-, amusement –a kid putting Jellal in his place? Hilarious!- and bewilderment –who would actually go against direct orders like that?-, before shaking his head as a soldier suddenly ran inside.

"P-Panther Lily-sama! We have a problem! Cities are destroyed one after the other, the people are panicking, and-"

"We know. As you can see, the Anima-"

"Is _mine."_

The guard's eyes widened as the black-haired girl suddenly rose from the ground, a Book appearing in her hands. It felt as if her gaze was piercing his very soul, the yellow orb glinting with Magic.

 _"_ Die, all of you! _Ice Make: Hammer!_ _"_

Seemingly catching on, Edo-Jellal grabbed one of his staff, while Panther Lily brandished his sword at her.

"Go, and warn the Royal Army! Those who have stolen the magic power are attacking!" he ordered.

"R-right away!"

He disappeared in a flash. As soon as he was gone, Kaelys dissipated her attack and dropped back to the ground, scratching the back of her head.

"Before any of you ask, I have _no idea_ of what just happened."

"Well, too late to back out now," the First Prince pinched the bridge of his nose, thinking fast. "We'll head out first, follow in a minute to… play the villain."

"Easy-peasy," she assured with a thumbs up. "We'll be going back soon anyway, right? It'll work like a charm, don't worry. Plus, I've got some experience about how to be a Villain under my belt."

"… I don't even want to know. Let's go, Lily."

"H-hai!"

The two of them ran out of the room. After a few seconds, Kaelys used _Sound Wall_ to destroy the whole chamber, and then followed after them.

 **'** **Acting as a bad guy to save the people? How poetic~'**

"I know, right?"

As she reached the outside, though, a cackle caught her attention. Surprised, she raised her eyes to see none other than Natsu, standing on top of one of the towers. He was wearing a makeshift cape, and… horns?

"Muahahahah! I am the Great Demon King Dragneel! I've taken all this world's magic power! Gahaha!"

"I… am genuinely terrified," Kaelys sweatdropped. She felt like she had been doing that a lot, recently. "But seems like we got the same idea, then. All the better for me!"

Without anymore hesitation, she flew to Natsu and kneeled before him.

"The Anima is ours, Master Dragneel!" she claimed, loud enough to be heard by all of the citizens below. "We have achieved our mission!"

His eyes glinted in understanding, and she wondered under her breath about when exactly he had actually gotten smart.

"Well done! And now… Redfox! Marvel! Cobra! Destroy the city, my loyal servants!"

Buildings started crumbling. In the street appeared Gajeel and Wendy, them too wearing a cape like Natsu's. And then, on top of the opposite building, Erik appeared. He had actually taken the Doctor's coat and, had Kaelys not known any better, then she would have thought it was actually the enemy.

He cackled madly, sending small bombs into some of the houses.

"That might be a _little_ overboard…" she muttered.

"The truly are an evil group!" suddenly exclaimed a man amongst the citizens. "Just look! This is all their doing!"

"What are you doing!?" exclaimed Jellal, struggling to understand whether this was a ploy or their actual madness. "Stop it!"

"Destroy more of the city!" yelled Natsu. "My servants!"

"Stop with the 'servant' thing already!" yelled back Gajeel.

"Shut up, ash-for-brains!" added Erik.

"Whatever, just do it!"

The citizens were growing agitated, and angry. Slowly but surely, they started believing their little display and, a moment later, all were convinced that they actually were the ones who had 'taken away their happiness'.

"Every person who resists me… shall die!" He started spouting fire.

"STOP IT, NATSU!"

All attention was suddenly reported onto the First Prince. No one knew who he was, though.

"I am the Great Demon King Dragneel!" corrected the pink-haired boy with a ferocious grin.

"Stop this foolishness! The King has fallen, there is no need to attack the city!" But Jellal understood, now. Even though the price would be heavy, the Fairy Tail mages had actually followed Kaelys's idea without even knowing it. "Leave them alone!"

"And what are you going to do about it, First Prince of Edolas?" then replied Kaelys in a sing-song voice, taunting him.

There was a moment of stillness.

"First Prince?"

"Did she say 'prince'?"

"Could he be…"

"The First Prince!"

"He went missing seven years ago… Prince Jellal!"

"Impossible!"

The blue-haired man gritted his teeth a little. While he understood the plan, was it _really_ necessary to reveal his true identity? She had obviously no intention of letting him escape his title any longer, the damn brat.

"Come!" then exclaimed Natsu, clenching his fist. "If you don't, then there won't be a trace left of this city!"

And so, Jellal started running.

He had a battle to engage.

* * *

The plan had been fairly simple. While Natsu, Gajeel and Wendy set everything up, Erik quickly went to heal the King. Taking out the poison had been child's play, and he then returned to his fellow Dragon Slayers' sides to pass as Doctor Cobra. Seeing as they couldn't let him go unpunished, his treason would be revealed through the act. For Kaelys to join in had been a surprised but, then again, she had left a considerable impression upon the citizens when she first showed up.

And now, the fight was done. Jellal had won, of course, and Natsu was now lying in the dust, 'beaten'. All around, cheers and whistles for the First Prince could be heard.

Then, Natsu's body started glowing. Blinking, Kaelys glanced at her friends to see that the other three Dragon Slayers were going through the same thing. She looked down at her hands, and realized that she too was in that predicament.

"We're going back," she understood.

For some reason, her heart clenched.

"Let's put on a show as we kick the bucket," grinned Gajeel.

"Didn't we already?" Erik rolled his eyes.

Their feet left the ground. Slowly but surely, they started ascending towards the Anima, which was still sucking out the Magic of Edolas.

An hand grabbed Kaelys's, stopping her ascension.

As her friends kept going higher, the teen shot an horrified look to the one holding her back, only to find the tear-stricken face of Elena Cloves.

"I'm sorry, Kae!" she choked, her grip tight. "I know you won't forgive me, but you need to understand that I'm sorry and that I-I'm happy too! I'm so glad you finally found your place, your family, and I'm sorry that I couldn't be part of your life in such a way! I'm sorry for leaving you, I'm sorry for hurting you, I'm sorry for being so selfish and- and all I'm asking is that you live happily! Promise me, Kae! Promise me you'll be happy… even if I won't be there to see you smile anymore…"

The girl gaped at the woman for a moment.

Then, she smiled.

A genuine smile.

A happy smile.

"I promise."

Heavy sobs shaking her whole body, the woman then slipped a metallic object into her daughter's hands. Kaelys blinked when realizing it was her scalpel.

"I-I don't like it… but defend yourself," the woman exhaled, tears still rolling down her cheeks. "Defend your happiness. Defend your friends and your family and everything you love with everything you have! You deserve this chance, so don't ever let anyone take it away from you!"

"I won't," assured the Thief mage. She stared at her scalpel for a moment, before shaking her head and throwing it to the ground. "But this is a new start. I won't my past hold me back anymore. And I'm- I'm sorry too… that it had to be that way."

Through her tears, Elena then let her daughter's hand slip from her grasp. The teen started floating again, getting closer and closer to the Anima that would finally bring her back home.

The blonde clenched her fists, and then… she couldn't stop herself anymore. "I LOVE YOU, KAELYS! I... I love you...!"

Her last cry echoed, loud and clear for all to hear.

So was Kaelys's answer.

"See you around, mom."

And then she vanished along with the rest of her friends, for good this time. Elena stared for a few seconds at the empty spot in the sky as the Anima finally closed, before falling to her knees.

This time, the wail managed to break through her last defenses. Her heart-wrenching cry made those present lower their heads in silent support. And she let out all of the pent-up worry, frustration, anger, confusion, all the hurt and the despair and the love she felt, and through it all she was crying and laughing at the same time because she no longer knew where she stood in this goddamn story.

Her cries died down in sobs, her laughs turned to a bitter smile, and the tears just kept on falling.

An hand was placed on her shoulder, and the First Prince smiled comfortingly at her.

"She's strong. She'll be fine."

Elena kept on crying.

* * *

.

.

Kaelys groaned as she landed rather roughly on top of the rest of her friends. After a few seconds of mild confusion, Natsu suddenly jumped back to his feet, throwing everyone off off him.

"We're back! Finally!" he cheered.

"We… we actually made it?" The black-haired girl was having a hard time believing it.

"Hey, Loudmouth," Erik raised an eyebrow, patting her head. "You okay?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"You're crying," simply answered Macbeth, stretching his limbs.

The teen touched her cheeks, which were damped.

"Guess I am…"

A loud whooping from the pink-haired Dragon Slayer caught their attention, and she quickly wiped her face as they jogged to join him. A smile started stretching the girl's lips at the sight that welcomed her.

"Everything's back to normal!"

"The city of Magnolia is back!"

"Yatta!"

"Wait." At Erza's imperious order, everyone stiffened. "It's too early to rejoice. We need to make sure everyone is safe, first."

"Everyone's fine!"

They all raised their eyes to see hundreds of Exceeds flying.

"We got to Earthland a bit before you, see."

"We've already flown around a bunch!"

"The people in the Guild and the city are all safe!"

"It seems like none of them even realize they were turned into a Lacrima!"

"Earthland sure is amazing!"

"There's Magic everywhere!"

"Why… are the Exceeds on Earthland?" Kaelys grunted, feeling a headache coming.

Everyone else was simply too shocked to answer.

* * *

Kaelys was now sitting down, her back against a tree while the others tried to handle the Exceeds and decide what to do with them. The teen didn't want anything to do with it, though. She had had enough of Edolas, and anything that was related to the other world in any way, shape or form.

She was actually looking forward to sleep, for once.

"Lucy~! Did you miss me?"

At the new voice, the Thief mage's attention was caught. She watched as Corvus suddenly appeared out of nowhere, tackling Lucy to the ground. The group chuckled as the blonde instantly started scolding him for his manner of greeting.

"Corvus…" Kaelys blinked, surprised. She suddenly felt very happy. "Corvus!"

"Uh?"

Before the Spirit could react, Kaelys had sprung on her feet and ran the few meters separating them in a flash, sending the both of them crashing in the dirt.

" _Oof!"_ he grunted, landing on his back. Then, understanding dawned on him and a grin stretched his lips. "Lys!"

He got back to his feet and started spinning her around a few times. She started laughing, hugging him tightly.

"I'm so glad to see you!" she beamed. "Where have you been?"

He placed he back onto the ground, before scratching the back of his head. "I, err… well, I was kind of punished by Leo for telling you about the Book of Zeref, seeing as you went and contracted with it anyway despite our warnings and it _is_ kind of my fault for mentioning it in the first place, and yeah I _did_ kind of deserved it but long story short I had to be his slave for hours and then you guys got sucked into Edolas and I couldn't come out because the Elder Keys are linked to Earthland and so we can't be summoned in other worlds and I really wanted to come and help but-"

He was suddenly whacked behind the head by a very annoyed Erik. " _Stop. Ranting."_ His eye was twitching.

"Eh, eh, right…" chuckled nervously the Crow, backing away.

"Come on, come on!" Kaelys then started pulling him away. "I've got to fill you in!"

"Great, story time!"

As the two went to sit farther away, the Poison Dragon Slayer clicked his tongue, a slight scowl adorning his lips.

Lucy lightly slapped his arm. "Oh, shush you," she rolled her eyes. "I think it's cute."

"I _know_ you do," he snorted. "But that kid needs to learn how to shut up, seriously."

"That… or you're just pissed seeing him and Kae getting along so well," she teased.

His scowl deepened. "I am _not_ jealous."

"Just admit you've got a sister complex~"

 _"_ _I don't have a sister complex!"_

"Erik, you do, now shut up and let me get some more sleep," huffed Macbeth, literally sleeping on his feet.

The maroon-haired man cursed under his breath. Completely unaware, Kaelys kept on talking with animation, while Corvus simply listened, the corner of his lips quirked upwards.

* * *

.

.

After biding farewell to the Exceeds, the group reunited again. Corvus had been forced to return to the Spirit world. All mages were exhausted, his Master included, and so he didn't want to drain her Magic even more.

"Yosh, let's return to the Guild!" then cheered Natsu.

"How should we report this to everyone?" wondered Lucy.

"No one noticed what happened, right?" recalled Gray, tilting his head.

"But we can't keep quiet about what happened to Mystogan," pointed out Erza.

"Maybe… we should keep it a secret?" proposed Wendy, uncertain.

"Tche, hold it a second," Gajeel intervened, fists clenched. "… Where the hell is Lily!? I ain't seen Panther Lily around anywhere!"

"Stop shouting, he's just there," Erik rubbed his temples. He _really_ deserved a few days of peace after all that shitshow.

"What?"

"If you want me, I'm right here."

At the familiar voice, all turned around… only to see Panther Lily, in a normal Exceed form. He was small, and cute, and Kaelys felt the strong urge to cuddle him.

"You sure got cutesy," remarked Happy.

"It seems as if Earthland does not match well with my constitution," answered the ex-General.

"Are you sure… you're okay…?" inquired Carla.

"Right now, I want to join this Guild that took care of the Prince," he simply answered. "You'll keep your promise and let me in? Right, Gajeel?"

"Gihi…"

"Aw, shit." Erik covered his ears and closed his eyes.

"OF COURSE I WILL, PARTNER!"

Kaelys and all the other mages watched in mild horror as the Iron Dragon Slayer started bawling his eyes out, hugging the cat and rubbing their cheeks together in a weird, unnatural display of emotions.

When Gajeel finally let him go, Lily sighed. "Now, on to another matter… I caught someone suspicious." He started pulling at a rope. "Come on out, now!"

There was movement in the bushes. Kaelys tensed, ready to grab her scalpel, before remembering she left it in Edolas, also recalling her determination to fully get a new start.

Though she'd have to get new boots as well, now that she thought about it.

"W-wait… I'm not… anyone… suspicious!"

A young girl then came out of the bushes, stumbling into the mud. She raised a proud, determined gaze upon them.

"I too am a member of Fairy Tail."

Kaelys glanced to the other members, slightly confused. She had seen the guildmark on the girl's tight, but didn't recall seeing her around. From everyone's looks of confusion, she could tell they thought the same… well, saved for Natsu. It seemed as if he had just seen a ghost.

"What's with this cat? Are you an Exceed?" pursued the white-haired girl, annoyance now lacing her voice.

"I am Panther Lily," answered flatly the cat.

"What's yer problem? You talkin' crap 'bout my cat, uh!?" Gajeel instantly went into defensive mode.

Now that Kaelys looked closer, she realized that Gray and Erza also seemed stricken by shock. It would seem all of the older members of Fairy Tail knew the girl, then.

The teen relaxed at the thought. Not an enemy, then.

"That's impossible."

"L-Lisanna?"

"Somehow… Edolas's Lisanna…"

"Came with us!?"

"What'll we do?"

Kaelys held in a sigh. It would seem it'll be a little longer before they got back to the Guild.

* * *

.

.

Kaelys roughly rubbed her eyes.

She didn't know why, but seeing that Lisanna girl get back to Mirajane and Elfman made her so happy and _sad_ at the same time… It felt as if her heart was torn in pieces, and she suddenly realized that _that_ was a true family reunion. She couldn't stop some envy from slithering in her veins. Her own reunion with her mother… had been quite literally a punch and a fight.

They hurt each other. With blows. With words.

They both died a little more on the inside at each second battling one another.

They couldn't be a family even if they tried.

She's hated her mother for three years, almost four now. She _despised_ her, cursed her, spat on each and every moment they ever had because she always believed that the happiness they shared had been fake. Her mother betrayed her in the worst of ways, she tried to take away everything she had and everything she was _again_ with the Edolas incident. Kaelys would never forgive her for what she had done, _could_ never forgive her.

So why… why did it hurt anyway?

An hand fell on her head, roughly ruffling her hair. She glared up at Erik, who rolled his eyes and looked away, though didn't move his hand.

"She was family," he then said lowly. "You can't erase family, no matter what they've done. You can still move on, though. You made a promise, didn't you?"

"I…" Her throat felt dry.

There was a weight against her leg, and she looked at Macbeth, who had simply sat down and was now leaning against her, already snoring softly.

"I did…"

Lucy's hand slipped into her own. The teen looked up at the blonde, who beamed at her through her own tears.

"We're home."

"Home…"

 _"_ _Promise me, Kae! Promise me you'll be happy… even if I won't be there to see you smile anymore…"_

Yes, she made a promise.

And she intended to keep it.

"Yeah, we're home."

Despite the hurt, despite the rain…

It truly was good to be back.

* * *

 **Yosh, so that's Edolas wrapped up! I know some might not like the fact that Elena helped out, in the end, but I really wanted to make this clear: she never was a 'bad' guy or anything, not like Doctor Shawn or the rest of those psychos. She was a distraught mother who had lost her only family because of her own mistakes, and she wanted to make it better again. I think any mother would feel that way in such circumstances. However, she understood that what was done was done, and decided to move on.**

 **So, quick resume! Kaelys can create mental shields, Doctor Cobra is actually the one who schemed everything in hopes of becoming King (he was keeping Prince Macbeth in a coma, and manipulated Faust into believing eternal Magic was the only way to save him), Elena had a heart-to-heart with Lucy and gave her a Celestial Key, Kaelys left both her scalpel and her eyepatch in Edolas, and she's growing determined not to let her past hinder her any longer.**

 **If you still have questions, please, feel free to ask them! I'm really looking forward to your reviews, and I hope it was still to your liking.**

 **Later~**


	25. Home Sweet Home

**Yo~oh! Guess who's back? Well, I haven't been gone for too long, but I really couldn't stop myself from posting any longer. I know many of you have been wondering about what would happen to Kaelys for the Tenroujima Arc and... nope, you won't learn this chapter, sorry~ Anyhow, it's shorter than the previous one -seriously, that had been one hell of a chapter to write-, but I hope you'll like it anyway.**

 **Time to lighten things up a bit! Ya know, before we plunge into darkness again.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

"S-seriously?"

"You're alive!?"

"LISANNA!"

Before any of her guildmates could reach her, though, Elfman blew them away with a single punch.

"Don't touch her with your filthy mitts!"

"Thank goodness, the Guild's just like before," sighed happily Lucy.

They had all gone home to quickly get a change of clothes and refresh a bit, before finally heading back to the Guild to check things out. They _had_ been stalling for time, to be honest, seeing how uncertain the Guild's fate had actually been, but they were glad to find it just like it was a few days prior.

"Looks like really no one knows about the Anima, then," nodded Gray.

"Anyway, what's important is that everyone is safe," replied Erza.

"This is messed up," simply grunted Gajeel.

"Urgh, tell me about… why did I have to be here again?" No doubt, the Poison Dragon Slayer was whining.

"Because you are a member of Fairy Tail and you ought to make sure your family is okay," chided Lucy.

"Then why was Macbeth allowed to stay home?"

"He was exhausted, the poor dear."

"And I'm not!? I call favoritism!"

While the two bickered, Kaelys tapped Erza's shoulder to get her attention.

"Shouldn't we tell Master or something, though?" she proposed.

As if on cue, the old man appeared.

"Lisanna."

"Master!"

"I thought…" He stopped before them, scarily serious. "… Everyone raised in this Guild is a child of this Guild. And what parent is there that doesn't worry about their child? You can tell me all about what happened later. You too, Natsu."

"Sure, Gramps."

"Anyway… you did great in coming home!" then beamed the small wizard.

"I.. really am home, am I…?"

"That's right. This will always be your home. So, welcome back, Lisanna."

"WELCOME BACK, LISANNA!"

"And now… LET'S PARTY!"

"YEAH!"

* * *

.

.

While Erik sulked in the corner, though he was chatting with Cubellios- or rather, Kinana, Kaelys took the time to look around the Guild. They hadn't been gone for so long, not even a week, but it still felt as if everything had changed… All was the same, yet different. She knew that what happened with… her mother, would change something, but she didn't know exactly _what_ yet.

 **'** **Damn, you are one depressing kid. Why don't you party already?'**

"I _won't_ drink, Shirokage. Plus, I'm tired. Give me a break."

 **'** **Excuses, excuses…'**

They had also explained everything that had happened to everyone. They deserved to know, after all. It took some convincing –no one remembered- but they managed to accept it after all. Lily's presence had helped, and seeing as everyone knew Kaelys would never be able to lie, well, they didn't have much of a choice but to believe it.

"This is quite a… lively Guild."

She glanced at Panther Lily, lips twitching into yet another smile.

"You get used to it," she replied. "Honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way. That's what makes Fairy Tail… well, Fairy Tail."

"And all of you have Magic in your bodies?"

"Yup! It's a part of us," she confirmed. "Were it to be taken away or something, though, we wouldn't survive it."

"It goes to such an extent?"

"Aa. But don't worry! It takes a lot to die because of Magic loss," she quickly reassured him. "I-"

"SALAMANDER, LITTLE GIRL! LET'S HAVE A FIGHT BETWEEN MY LILY, THE BLUE CAT AND THE WHITE CAT!"

At the startled look on Lily's face, Kaelys laughed a little. Then, a loud 'crack' caught their attention, and she shook her head with a sigh when she saw that most of their guildmates were now fighting. One after the other, the members either joined or were forcibly pulled into the fray.

"I'll get a drink from Mira," she told the Exceed. "Want something too?"

"I think I'll stand back a bit."

"Suit yourself."

Carefully avoiding the fight, she somehow reached the bar unarmed. As soon as she got there, though, the white-haired woman served her her orange juice with a knowing smile.

"Thanks, Mira!"

"Anytime. So, how did you like Edolas?"

"I didn't." The barmaid laughed. "No, seriously! Those magic tools were crazy, and really annoying, and those doubles were also really confusing. Oh, and there's obviously the fact that I've been impaled. That wasn't exactly fun..."

Amusement instantly disappeared from her face. "Are you alright, now?"

"Uh? Oh, yeah, sorry," quickly apologized the teen. "I didn't mean... I mean, it hurt when it happened, but the Demon healed me and now I'm as good as new! Kind of… I've still gotten a scar, but whatever. You know what? I think I should start a collection or something!"

"Don't talk like that," Mirajane lightly slapped her head in scolding. "Getting hurt isn't something to be proud of."

"I'm not proud of getting hurt, I'm proud of being strong enough to get over it!" retorted the teen with a broad grin. "I wasn't ashamed of my scars before… but I won't hide them any longer. They are as much of a part of me as my Magic, and my past made me who I am today, whether I like it or not. So now, instead of running away, I'll run forward! I won't ever forgive or forget what was done, but I won't let it hinder me any longer."

The Takeover mage gaped for a second, before beamed at her.

"That's amazing!" she assured. "I'm glad to see that you're really fitting in, now."

"I'll try-" The teen was suddenly cut off as a flying chair slammed her off her stool and sent her crashing on the floor.

All movements stopped, those fighting frozen in place. They gulped as, slowly, Kaelys rose back to her feet and turned to face them. Her single purple eye was heavy with killing intent, and a few passed out when seeing her yellow one glinting with barely restrained anger.

"…"

"…"

 _"I'LL GET YOU BACK FOR THIS!"_

The fight started once again. It really was a free-for-all, in which even Erik and Lily, somehow, had gotten tangled in.

The rest could only watch in astonishment as Kaelys joined the fray.

* * *

 _Somewhere in Earthland_

 _The Newly Reformed Magical Council_

 _._

 _._

"Unacceptable! Have you seen the mountain of apology letters? Are those all from problems caused by that single Guild?"

"Fairy Tail has been a thorn in our side since the previous generation."

"It doesn't rise to the level you put it. There's also the work they did in destroying the Oración Seis of the Balam Alliance."

"Work, you say? Master Org, what are you saying?"

"There is no record of the Magic Council authorizing that plan."

"A number of local Guilds took that initiative on their own…"

"Strictly speaking, even if they were a dark Guild, that was still a violation of the prohibition between warring Guilds!"

"They didn't even do it right. Might I recall to the Council that all of the members of Oración Seis _aren't_ in a cell as we speak?"

"Angel, Racer, Hoteye, Cobra, Midnight, Truth… saved for their Master, Brain, all of them are alive and currently part of one of the three Guilds that composed the Allied Forces."

"Three of them joined Fairy Tail. Can we really let that slide?"

"We were expecting those members to seek out each other and wreck havoc once again, thus allowing us to disband those Guilds. However, it would seem they are lying low for now."

"Shouldn't this be a good thing? If such criminals truly can be reformed and adapted to live in society again, then-"

"Nonsense! They are sure to strike again, and even harder this time! We should arrest them again while we know where to find them!"

"We have an agreement with the Masters. As long as they do not break the rules, then the members of Oración Seis will not be taken back into custody."

"Chairman, what do you think?"

The dark figure in the middle of all the arguments sighed.

"In order to take back the trust people once had in us, we must keep a tight reign on this trouble Guild. Fairy Tail has no future! Next, we'll force the Guild to disband! _Definitely."_

* * *

 _At the same time, in Edolas_

 _._

 _._

The King had been exiled. The First Prince had taken the crown. The Second Prince was slowly but surely getting accustomed to living again. Doctor Cobra had been executed for treason. As for the Captains and the Advisor, they had been granted mercy and were now working on rebuilding Edolas as a whole, along with the Fairy Tail Guild and all of the citizens and soldiers.

Everything was working out, somehow. Despite the disappearance of Magic, they still managed to find many ways to help out, and discovered now more than ever the importance of working together.

It was peaceful. It was a new beginning, a new world slowly rising from the ashes of the last one. It was almost perfect-

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, YOU _STABBED MY DAUGHTER!?"_

…

I did say _almost._

* * *

 _Earthland_

 _._

 _._

Lucy stared at the black key in her hand. She had easily recognized it as one of the Elder Keys, but she didn't know which one. And it had been a few days since she got it from Kaelys's mother, so surely the Spirit would have showed up by now if they were in any way compatible.

A startled gasp to her right echoed, and she shot a look at Corvus. The Crow was gaping at her new key, eyes wide.

"W-where… did you get this?" he asked, pale.

"In Edolas," she answered, frowning. "Are you alright? What is it?"

"This… this is the Phoenix Key," he swallowed harshly. "My sister's key."

 _"_ _What!?"_

* * *

 _A week later_

 _._

 _._

A week had passed since their return from Edolas. Everything had been rather hectic, what with Lisanna being back, Gildarts announcing he'd be staying home a while longer, Lucy still struggling to form a bond with the Phoenix Key and Kaelys training harder than ever.

Now that she no longer had her main weapon, she decided that relying solely on her Magic was a no-go. She was too used to it. How would she fight if she ever found herself unable to access it, like in Edolas? No, she definitely couldn't let that happen again.

Loke and Corvus had been happy to help her out, and she kind of bribed Erik in joining them. He _was_ her first hand-to-hand combat mentor, after all.

"What did you say, shitty lion!?"

"That you're in the way, stupid snake!"

Of course, it didn't mean they all got along. The Celestial Spirit and the Dragon Slayer just wouldn't stop bickering. Corvus and herself had long since given up on trying to make them be friendlier to each other, and had learned the hard way not to try and step in when they were arguing.

"How about we head back home?" Kaelys then proposed, stretching her arms. "We've been at it for three hours, and I'm feeling up for a shower."

"Yeah, let's go!" agreed the red-eyed Spirit. He then paused. "N-not in the shower or anything, though! I-I meant home! Nothing more!"

She raised an eyebrow at him. "… I know?"

Listening to them, the two man who had been fighting not a second earlier sweatdropped a little, dropping their argument.

"She's clueless," sighed Loke, replacing his glasses.

"This is starting to get sad, really," Erik agreed, rubbing his temples.

"Guys, you're coming?" the black-haired girl called, already ahead.

"Of course, Kae-hime~"

"Stop being so impatient, Loudmouth."

"Then stop being a jerk."

"Stupid brat."

"Damn old man."

And of course, they couldn't have a training session without a few insults thrown around.

* * *

.

.

As soon as the Thief mage stepped out of the bathroom, she was assaulted by Lucy and Erza, who had apparently been waiting for her.

"Let's go, Kae!"

"G-go? Wait, what? Where?"

They started pulling her outside, and she shot a half-confused, half-scared look at her fellow ex-criminals, who simply shrugged and left her to deal with the crazy women on her own.

As soon as they got outside, they started dragging her towards the shopping district of Magnolia.

"Wait, guys, why are we going there?" protested the teen. She wasn't struggling, though, knowing Erza could very well force her to come anyway. "What's going on?"

"We've decided to go shopping to get you some new clothes!" beamed the blonde. "And new boots, while we're at it. You left your own back in Edolas, right? And your outfit got pretty torn up too."

"But… that was a week ago? Why go now?"

"Because…" They exchanged a look, then Erza pumped her fist in the air. "We wanted to! It has been a long while since we last went out together, has it not?"

"… fair enough, I guess. What did you have in mind?"

* * *

.

.

Erik didn't know whether to laugh or cry when Kaelys _crawled_ back into the house.

"Save… save me…"

Laugh. Definitely laugh.

So he did.

"Still alive, Loudmouth?" he snickered.

"Not… for much longer…" she groaned, somehow reaching the couch. She pulled herself up, before falling onto her back. "I wanna die…"

"Come on, it can't have been _that_ bad," he rolled his eyes, muffling another snort.

She glared at him, and he looked back into her memories… only to pull away half-a-second later, face going pale.

He wasn't laughing anymore.

"Nevermind."

"Why me…"

Lucy entered at that moment, numerous shopping bags in hands. She was smiling, though it was a little strained. She dropped the bags and flopped down next to the teen.

"Too… many sparkles…" Her smile twitched violently.

Macbeth entered the living room. He sat down, obviously about to take a nap, when he noticed the traumatized expressions of his roommates.

"… do I want to ask?"

"Please don't," the Poison Dragon Slayer shuddered.

"Anyway…" Kaelys then straightened. "Why don't we go to the Guild? Surely the others-"

"NO!"

She blinked at the sudden vehemence, startled that the three of them had even reacted that way. Hell, the _three of them!_

"… okay?"

"I-I mean… we've go a lot to do here!" Lucy assured. "We have to… cook! Right! And we have to… clean…?"

"But we've been banned from the kitchen," the teen gestured to herself and the other two, growing even more confused. "And the house is as clean as it can be."

The blonde shot a look at Erik.

 _Help me!_

"Beth… wanted to teach you!" he then announced. He had no idea what he was saying, but too late to back out now. "Err… how to... meditate?"

Instantly, the teen smiled and turned to the black-haired boy, who had shot a glare his friend's way, though it went unnoticed by Kaelys.

"Really?"

"… Aa." What else could he say?

"Great! It ought to help me with control, right? Let's get to it, come on!"

As she jumped back to her feet, all tiredness forgotten. Macbeth glared at Erik again.

 _You so owe me for this._

Lucy simply shooed him out. As soon as they were gone, the Celestial mage let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding.

"Damn, that was too close."

"You're an awful liar, Sunshine," snorted the maroon-haired man.

"It's not such a bad thing," she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"No." To her great surprised, he agreed. "No, it isn't. Now, why don't you call the demon barmaid to see if they're done? Beth will win us a forty minutes, at top."

"Right. And her name's Mirajane. When will you start using everyone's name, mine included?"

"Never."

"Urgh, that's what I thought you'd say." But she was smiling as she dialed Mirajane's number on her Lacrima.

* * *

.

.

"So… what exactly _is_ going on?"

Kaelys had been forced to change into one of the new outfits by Lucy. She no longer wore sleeves or bandages to hide the scars on her arms, and she had found new boots that reached the middle of her tights. She even had a really cool belt to which she would be able to attach a new weapon that she'd find later!

And now, they were heading for the Guild, something they had refused to do earlier.

"You said you wanted to go, right?" replied Erik, arms crossed behind his head. "Just stop asking question already, Loudmouth."

"But you guys are confusing me!" she whined.

"Deal with it."

"Asshole."

"Dwarf."

"I am not!" She gasped.

"You're smaller than me."

"Everyone is smaller than you!"

"Not Elfman," mused Lucy. "Or Gildarts. Or Gajeel, and-"

"Which side are you on, Lucy-nee?" She was pouting now.

The blonde simply whistled, looking away. After a moment, Kaelys snorted, giving up. Soon enough, they reached the Guild. Instantly, the teen was put on edge by the distinct lack of noise. No cheers, no small talk, no screams.

Silence was _never_ a good thing when it came to Fairy Tail.

"Guys…"

"Don't worry, Loudmouth. Just get inside already."

She shot a worried look at Erik, but gave in. If the Sound mage said it was safe, then she trusted him. So, gulping a little, she slowly pushed the door open. Inside, everything was dark. Hesitantly stepping in, she was about to run back outside when the lights were suddenly turned on, blinding her a little.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KAELYS!"

Her jaw dropped at the sight. Everyone was gathered in the middle of the Guild, a gigantic banner hanging in the air.

 _HAPPY FIFTEENTH BIRTHDAY KAELYS!_

"I… what…?"

Confetti was falling down from the ceiling, all her guildmates were laughing and cheering at her flabbergasted expression, and she truly didn't know how to react. The Master then stepped forward, a gentle smile on his lips.

"You've been with us for a few months only, but you have gone a very long way since then, my child," he remarked. "We're all very proud of you and your efforts, and we are happy to celebrate this important day with you."

"But… how did you even know…?" Herself had completely forgotten about it. When was the last time she actually celebrated her birthday?

"I told them," Erik shrugged, coming in along with Lucy and Macbeth. "We didn't do anything for when you turned fourteen, so I thought out of the very goodnesss of my heart that we might as well-"

"That and I forced him to tell me," chirped the blonde, slinging an arm around his shoulders.

The Poison Dragon Slayer simply whacked her behind the head.

"I…" Kaelys turned back to the rest of her friends, her heart thundering painfully under all of the emotion. "Thank you…"

"No need to thank us, Kae!" then cackled Cana, a barrel already in her arms. "Fairy Tail is always ready to celebrate!"

"YEAH!"

"Let's get this party started!"

"YEAH!"

And as the alcohol flowed, and music flood the air, and a fight somehow broke out, Kaelys couldn't stop smiling. It hurt her face, but she just couldn't stop.

"That's why you've been stalling, isn't it?" she then realized. "Why we trained for so long, and went shopping, and Macbeth helped me meditate…"

"Yup! Sorry for hiding it, we really wanted to surprise you," chuckled Lucy.

Without a warning, Kaelys hugged her tightly. Startled, the blonde then hugged back with as much strength.

"Thank you. It really means a lot to me."

"Well, what's family for?"

Kaelys's smile only widened, if possible.

* * *

.

.

Kaelys was _very_ happy when they got home. The party had been very… Fairy Tail-ish, the food had been good –Erza had chosen the cake-, and the teen had had a lot of fun talking a little while with everyone. All the stress and trouble of the past had seemed to vanish, the burden on her shoulders lessening.

She felt light on her feet, almost as if she was flying.

"Err, Kae? Why are you floating?"

Oh, wait. She was.

Offering a sheepish smile to the blonde, the teen quickly brought her feet back to the ground. Erik simply snorted, while Macbeth shook his head with a slight quirk of his lips.

"I take it you enjoyed yourself?"

"It was the best party ever!" assured the girl with energy. "I don't think I ever had a party like that, to be honest. Last time I celebrated my birthday, it was with my mother, so…" She smiled a little at the memory, but quickly pushed it aside. "I really had fun. I completely forgot about it, to be honest. Kind of weird to believe I've been here for a little more than two years, now."

"Understandable. But why are you talking as if it's over already?"

"It's not?"

"Of course not!"

All four wizards jumped at the sudden appearance of a grinning Corvus. He latched himself around the teen's neck.

"Happy birthday, Kae~"

"Aw, thanks!" she grinned back.

"You've _got_ to stop popping up like that," grunted Erik.

"Though he's right," pointed out Lucy. "It's not over yet. We've still got the presents!"

"Presents? You've gotten me presents?" Her eye glinted happily.

"Of course! We didn't want to give them when everyone else was there, 'cause then we would never have seen the end of it," the blonde explained.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go, let's go!"

The Celestial mage and her Spirit laughed, while Macbeth smiled a little and Erik rolled his eyes, still too cool for actual emotional displays.

* * *

.

.

Kaelys let her eyes linger on the stars above her head. The sky was dark, a few last rays still piercing the horizon and turning it to a deep blue. The air was warm, not a breeze to be heard, and the teen simply felt at peace.

She glanced at the gifts she had received.

Lucy had given her a book. Kaelys had been surprised, recognizing it as the blonde's, and had instantly refused. After all, she knew very well that Lucy had promised Levy she would be the first to read it. However, the Celestial mage had simply laughed, telling her she had been working on another one since she joined and it was for her to read first.

Macbeth and Erik had both been utter morons. The Reflector mage went to sleep as soon as he gave her her gift, and the Dragon Slayer simply threw it at her head and threatened to strangle her if she teased him about it. Wisely keeping her mouth shut, she had be elated to find a music Lacrima and headphones from the black-haired mage, and a special dagger from the other asshole. The inside was filled with a paralyzing poison he had developed, which would allow her to incapacitate any enemy in a matter of minutes without killing them.

 **'** **Those are the weirdest gifts ever. Last time I was around, girls liked flowers and petty things like that'**

"Why would I want a flower if it is destined to wither?" Kaelys shrugged. "Where were you anyway? You've been awfully quiet the whole day, I was starting to hope you actually died of boredom."

 **'** **Ah, ah. Would it be hard to believe I just felt like being incredibly nice today?'**

"Oh?"

 **'** **I chose to keep quiet the whole day because it was oh-so-special for you. Take it as my birthday present. You're welcome.'**

"… I think I like you better when you're being mean."

 **'** **Tche. Ungrateful brat'**

"But… thank you. I really appreciate it."

 **'** **Don't you start making a big deal out of it or anything! I'm still going to kill you when the time comes!'**

"Hate you too, Shiro, hate you too."

 **'** **S-Shiro? When the fuck did I allow you to give me a nickname!?'**

She snorted. "As if I need your permission for anything. You know, it _was_ a one-time thing but, seeing how you like it _so much,_ well… I guess I can make it permanent. Don't you agree, _Shiro?"_

 **'** **Goddamn bitch…'**

She laughed a little, before reporting her eyes to the stars.

Someone sat next to her.

"Had a nice time?"

"Hmm. I forgot how it felt to celebrate a birthday with a family." She tilted her head at Corvus. "Wanted to be out a little longer?"

"Actually…"

He handed her a little box. Surprised, she took it.

"A gift?"

"Open it, open it!"

Raising an eyebrow, she obeyed nowadays, and her eyes widened when she saw what was inside. Gently, she pulled out the eyepatch. It was black, with silver and gold linings entwined on the sides and the strings. There was also a red gem hanging to a golden chain just where the strings parted, like an earring.

"Corvus…"

"I-I didn't really know what to get you but I really wanted to get you something because you know, you turned fifteen and whatnot, and then I learned that you lost the one Lucy got for you back in Edolas and I know that you don't want people to see your eye so I thought 'why not?' and-"

The black-haired teen slapped her hand over his mouth. He instantly shut up, a light blush creeping on his cheeks.

Then, she smiled at him. "I love it. I couldn't find any that I liked so I postponed finding one, though I guess that's a good thing."

He averted his eyes as she pulled her hand away. "Err, well, I'm glad you like it…"

Grinning, she leaned in and pecked him on the cheek. "Thank you."

There was a moment of stillness. Then, his face turned to a beat red, and he disappeared in a flash of light and sparkles.

Kaelys blinked. "What…?"

 **'** **Poor kid'**

"Uh? Mustn't have been feeling well…" she mused. Then, she glanced back to the eyepatch in her hand.

Smiling again, she laid down onto the roof to let her gaze wander on the dark sky, the Spirit's gift held against her heart.

For some reason, it was beating really fast, all of sudden.

* * *

 **My little, sweet, precious baby is now fifteen! *cries anime tears* They grow up so fast... Anyhow, I thought it'd be weird if she stayed the same age all along and, well, it never really was said when her birthday was, right? Anyhow, again, a few many things happened: they're back, there's partying, the key Lucy got is actually Phoenix -with whom she still can't form a contract-, Kaelys celebrated her birthday and, well, for those who haven't noticed yet... Kaelys is changing. For the better or the worst, it as yet to be decided, of course.**

 **PS: I love Corvus and Kaelys SOOO much. I've got a few plans in mind for those two, too. By curiosity, is there anyone out there shipping them? 'Cause I kind of do ;-)**

 **Also, for the one who call themself The Observer:**

 **Thank you for reviewing, first and foremost.**

 **Second, concerning Team Natsu's name... well, no spoiler or anything, but I don't think I'll keep the team around much longer anyway. Because, let's be honest here: Team Natsu is a goddamn danger for society, and I still can't understand why Makarov didn't disband them. So yeah, I never put much thoughts into the name, seeing as I always knew I wouldn't keep it. And also, while I thank you for offering the option of a name, I don't intend to take an idea that isn't my own. _Team Valiant_ sounds great and all, but that's from another fic and as such, I'll respect the original writer as much as I'll respect myself: I must be the one to think of the name, or else what would the point be? Anyway, that's kind of my pride talking, don't let it bother you. Also, concerning the 10% thingie... well, I think I explained it before -or maybe it was in an answer to a review of the same kind?- but I KNOW it's not true. However, I enjoy using urban myths. I mean, they're not around to look pretty, right? Take _Alexandria's Genesis,_ for example, another of the genetical illnesses Kaelys suffers from. I won't expand on the details, but I'd suggest you go take a look at the symptoms for yourself. You'll say 'WHAT? NO WAY!' and I can assure you, IT DOESN'T EXIST! But since no one ever used it -not to my knowledge, at least- I decided I would exploit it. That's all there is to it, really. **

**Finally, I'm glad you enjoy the burning kitchen running gag. Don't worry, it'll be back ;-)**

 **...**

 **All in all, though, I thank EVERYONE here for reviewing and reading my story. It really, truly means a lot to me, more than you might imagine. And also, if you ever have suggestions concerning little moments between characters, or general ideas of something happening during one of the Arcs, feel free to share! I'm not saying I'll actually use them -after all, I do have plans-, but who knows what the future reserves for us?**

 **Anyway, thank you all, and I'll see you next chapter!**


	26. The Best Partners

**Yosh! We're now officially beginning the Tenrou Island Ark. Of course, loads of angst and Fairy Tail fucking shit up as per usual, lol. Well, kind of. I think the blame's very much on Grimoire Heart this time around.**

 **Well, let's get to it!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

A scream echoed in the house. Kaelys instantly jumped to her feet, ready to rip the bathroom door off its hinges to go help Lucy, but Erik caught her before she could reach it.

Like, literally caught her. He grabbed her by the collar to lift her from the floor.

"W-what are you doing!? We've got-"

"She's fine, sheesh!" he protested, struggling to keep a hold of her as she kicked her legs around. "She's- stop moving already! She's fine!"

"No she's-"

"Look, if there was any danger, I would have heard it already. That drunkard from the Guild is in the bathroom with her, and they're talking now. Let them have their peace or else I won't hear the end of all of Sunshine's whining," he retorted, annoyed.

The teen went slack in his grip, and he sighed in relief, slowly putting her back on her feet.

"Cana's in the bathroom?" she then repeated, tilting her head to look at him. "Why didn't you tell Lucy-nee?"

"Because it's not my fucking problem, that's why. Now, are you going to barge in like a goddamn savage or will you drop it and go back to your meditating?"

"I-"

The door suddenly slammed open, and Cana walked in. Startled, the two snapped their eyes to the newcomer… only to freeze at the sight.

 _"… WHAT THE FUCK!? GET SOME DAMN CLOTHES ON!"_

"They're bigger than mine…" Kaelys muttered, looking down at her chest. She knew that she'd never get any when compared to Lucy's, but she didn't think Cana would have even more than that. "I'm fifteen, shouldn't I be grown up already?"

 **'** **Kid, that's really not the problem right now. Though I gotta say, I** ** _greatly_** **enjoy the view'**

She instantly slapped an hand over her left eye to stop him from oggling.

 **'** **Aww, you're no fun'**

"Don't you guys have booze here?" Cana headed for the kitchen, not caring about her nudity.

As she reached the other hallway, though, she ran into Macbeth. He blinked slowly, taking in her presence and appearance… before collapsing, a trail of blood running down his nose.

"Fucking closet pervert…" groaned Erik, rubbing his temples. He then grabbed the nearest blanket and threw it at the Card mage. "Cover yourself already!"

"Aw, is snake face actually shy?" snorted the brunette, wrapping herself in the warm blanket anyway. "Wait, don't tell me you're-"

"I'm _not!"_ He growled. "It doesn't mean I enjoy seeing woman walking nude in the middle of my house!"

She eyed him, smirking. "Why, prefer men? That's okay, it's always fun to-"

"I don't swing that way!" He looked scandalized. "And I- _stop picturing things, you depraved woman!"_

Lucy came in, and took a moment to understand what was going on. Kaelys was sulking in the corner, muttering under her breath with a cloud of gloom floating above her head. Macbeth was passed out in the other hallway, blood flowing down his nose. Finally, Cana was barely covered with a blanket while teasing Erik, whose ears had turned a deep red.

"… okay I'm done for the night," she deadpanned.

Ignoring Erik's curses and pleas, the blonde left the living room without another look behind. The Poison Dragon Slayer would have to deal with it himself.

That'd teach him not to warn her when someone is in the bathroom with her.

* * *

.

.

"You mean it's not the first time she'd done this?"

Kaelys took another sip of her orange juice.

The next day, after somehow surviving the… exhausting experience, Erik had exiled himself in the darkest corner of the Guild along with Gajeel to try and drown his trauma in some belladonna brew. Macbeth was sleeping on a stool at the bar, sometimes waking up with some blood leaking out of his nose. Lucy was next to him, handing him a tissue each and every time while discussing the issue with Mirajane.

Kaelys herself had decided to chat with the Thunder God Tribe. They didn't really have much time to talk since their mission together, and she didn't want the friendship she built up with them over the few days it lasted to wither.

The teen knew she'd never have friends to the same level of Lucy, Erik and Macbeth, even though Natsu, Gray and Erza were close behind. However, it didn't mean she couldn't make friends still. She liked Mirajane and Gajeel, and Bickslow, Evergreen and the-guy-she-still-can't-remember-the-name-of were really nice too. So, why isolate herself? She knew how _that_ worked out the last time around, and it hadn't been pretty.

"… of the trials."

The girl blinked, realizing she had completely missed the last part of the conversation. She offered a sheepish grin.

"Sorry, I wasn't listening. You were saying?"

The green-haired man sighed. "I was saying that Cana has been in the Guild much longer than any of us. It has been a few years since she has started acting like this around this time of the year."

"What was that about 'trials'?"

"It's the S-Class trials," answered Evergreen, fanning herself. "They happen once a year, and they're always different."

"S-Class trials…?" echoed the teen, curious. "What are they for?"

"To determine which mages are worthy of becoming S-Class," answered Bickslow, his babies floating behind him.

 _"_ _S-Class! S-Class!"_ they chanted.

"The Master chooses those who are allowed to participate," explained the leader of the little group. "It has been a while since we last had a S-Class mage, though. The only ones in our Guild are the Master, Gildarts, Erza and Mirajane. There was also Mystogan, before… well, before he left. And, technically speaking, all members of Oración Seis were too considered of such a rank, though it never was made official."

"S-Class is, like, super strong?" she scratched her head, still a little confused. "Are those trials so hard? I mean, I know those four are absolute monsters, but everyone is pretty strong too. I mean, look at you guys!"

Evergreen instantly flushed at the praise, hiding it behind her fan. The green-haired man smiled a little, while Bickslow laughed and ruffled her hair.

"Thanks, kiddo," he grinned, exposing his mark again. "But being a S-Class mage isn't just about strength, even if most tend to forget that."

"Is this why everyone has been rushing in and out of the Guild for the passed few days, with jobs in hands?" she then understood. "Because they think that the more missions they complete, the more their strength will get noticed by Master?"

"More or less. Everything about the trials will be announced tomorrow," informed Dark Écriture mage.

"I see. But I don't understand something, though. If the trials are so amazing, then why is Cana so depressed? Is it because she's never chosen or something?"

"More like she's _always_ chosen, but never manages," sighed Evergreen. She stretched her arms a bit, leaning into her seat. "Truly a wonder how she still can't reach S-Class after so many years of trying."

"Then said trials must be really hard," mused the black-haired girl. "I hope I'll be good enough to take part in them one day!"

The three older mages could only smile at that. As Bickslow was about to add something, though, a shadow fell upon the table. They all glanced up to see the Master standing on the railing of the second floor, just above.

"Master?"

"Kaelys, dear, mind coming up for a bit? It won't take long, I promise."

"Uh? Sure. I'll see you guys later!"

She waved, flying up to join the short man. They then went to his office, leaving a curious Thunder God Tribe behind.

* * *

.

.

"I take it they explained the S-Class trials to you?"

Kaelys was now sitting at the Master's desk, with Macbeth snoozing in a corner of the office while Erik leaned against the wall. She had been surprised at seeing them, but quickly shook it off.

"The general picture, yes," she confirmed.

"I heard everything and related it to Beth," nodded Erik.

The black-haired mage simply snored.

"As you know, being members of Oración Seis, you too were considered S-Class mages," Makarov then informed, jumping onto his desk to face them. "However, you agreed to a clean start when joining Fairy Tail, hence why you no longer officially possess this rank. Even though I would usually keep it quiet until the official announcement tomorrow, I felt like it was best to inform you that I nominated all three of you for the trials."

Kaelys didn't know whether to feel surprise or not, after all.

"Being a S-Class mage isn't merely about strength," then pursued the Wizard Saint. "It is about growing, reaching your full potential. In the course of the three months the three of you have joined, you all have grown beyond the ways in which you were taught, learning from your mistakes and becoming not only stronger, but _better._ I feel like your efforts should be rewarded, hence why I decided to nominate the three of you. Of course, the decision to take part in these trials is up to you."

"Bigger rank means bigger pay, right?" mused Erik, thoughtful. "I'm in."

"Good. What about you, Kaelys, Macbeth?"

Macbeth barely cracked an eye open, nodding silently. The Master chuckled, before reporting his attention to the teen before him. The young girl lowered her head a little, muttering too quickly under her breath for the others to fully understand what she was thinking.

She finally fell silent, and bit her lower lip.

"With all due respect, Master… I was really excited when I heard about those trials. However, I thought I'd have more time, or something like that. I don't- I don't think I'm ready for being S-Class. I-I've only just started working things out! Three months… it's not enough to make up for all the years that I've lost. The potential of my two Magics has yet to be fully uncovered, and I've got the Demon that I still have to learn how to control properly. And I… I've got too many scars to deal with still, ones that can't, that _won't_ heal or get any better for a long, long time. Bickslow and Ever and… err, the other one, told me that being a S-Class mage wasn't just about strength and so, even if you might consider me to be strong enough to handle such a rank… I'm just not ready."

There was a long silence, which was soon broken by a low whistle on Erik's part.

 _"Damn_ , Loudmouth."

"W-what?"

"I didn't expect you to refuse, I must admit," then chuckled Makarov. "However, as said before, everyone is allowed to refuse in participating. However, if you do not wish to compete so as to win the trials… maybe you can help one of your friends pass the tests instead!"

"Uh?"

"All participants will be allowed to bring a partner with them. If you want to participate without risking to become a S-Class mage, then that is the best way," explained the old man. He had a twinkle in his eyes, a smile on his lips. "What do you say, my child?"

Excitement instantly replaced her earlier wariness, and she jumped to her feet.

"I wanna be with Beth!" she cheered, before shooting a grin at the older boy. "I mean, if you don't mind."

For only answer, he snored. Taking that as a 'yes', the teen cheered once more. Erik muttered under his breath about 'fucking too loud kids' while the Master laughed once again.

"Off you go, then," he shooed them towards the door. "I will inform everyone of everything tomorrow. Until then, please, keep the subject of this meeting quiet. Some might take offense and call favoritism otherwise."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," grunted the maroon-haired man, already walking out.

"Okay, see you later!" Kaelys waved, dragging Macbeth out by the collar.

The door closed. As soon as they were out of sight, a proud grin stretched the wrinkled mage's lips. A moment later, the door opened again, and Gildarts came in.

"How did it go?" he asked, curious.

Instantly, anime tears started flowing down the older man's cheeks.

"They grow up so fast~!" he cried.

"M-Master!?"

* * *

.

.

The following day, Kaelys was _not_ having the greatest of times.

She never would have thought there were so many members in the Guild.

And she never would have thought she'd ever see them gathered in a single place all at once.

It made her nervous, jumpy. She had decided to exile herself in the corner with Erik, who was whining about the noise with his hands clapped over his ears. Macbeth was sleeping on the table, his low snores the only thing assuring his friends he was still alive. As for everyone else… well, they were eagerly awaiting the Master's announcement, unable to keep still.

After a few more minutes, the curtain was finally lifted, revealing Makarov standing with the other three S-Class mages behind him.

"Fairy Tail!" He gathered everyone's attention. "As we have done since days long passed, I will now announce the participants in this year's S-Class Wizard Advancement Exam!"

Instantly, all guildmates started cheering very loudly. Erik moaned in pain, slumping even more in his seat.

"Quiet, everyone! The Master isn't finished speaking yet!" then intervene Erza.

Had Erik been a lesser man, he would have _kissed_ the woman in gratitude as utter silence followed her interruption.

"This year's trials… will take place on Tenroujima! As some might recall, it is a sacred ground for our Guild. Each of your powers, hearts, and souls… I have judged them all this passed year. There will be ten participants!"

Everyone tensed in anticipation. Had they not learned the day before what was about to happen, Kaelys would probably have felt the same way.

"Natsu Dragneel!"

"All right!"

"Gray Fullbuster!"

"Finally, the time has come…"

"Juvia Lockser!"

"… uh!? Juvia is participating?"

"Elfman Strauss!"

"Those who are men… should become S-Class!"

"Cana Alberona!"

The brunette looked away.

"Freed Justine!"

He muttered something under his breath.

"Levy McGarden!"

"Finally!"

"Mest Gryder!"

"Wow, he came close last year, didn't he?"

"Erik! And finally Macbeth!"

Everyone started murmuring at that, confused. Weren't those two already S-Class mages anyway?

"This time, though…" Makarov then pursued, bringing back the calm. "Only one of you will pass! The trials will take place in a week from now, so each of you, prepare yourselves!"

Instantly, chaos started reigning.

 _~Darkness.~_

 _~Blood.~_

 _~There will be one winner.~_

Erik flinched. The sudden tension caught Kaelys's and even Macbeth's attention, the both of them narrowing their eyes at him.

"Erik, what is it?" inquired quietly the Reflector mage.

"I… don't know." The man's eyes were wide, unfocused. "I just… I saw…" He shook his head. "Whatever, just everyone's thought's messing with my mind."

The other two exchanged a glance, unconvinced, but dropped it. If Erik thought it was important, then he'd tell them then.

"Anyhow, listen up!" Makarov stepped in once again. "As it is the first time for some of you, let us explain the rules."

"Each of the ten selected participants, please choose a partner within the week or preparation," asked Mirajane.

"There are two rules for the partners you can choose," pursued Erza. "One, they must be a member of Fairy Tail. And two, you cannot partner with S-Class wizards."

"The contents of the exam itself will be announced once you arrive at Tenroujima," continued the Master. "But this time, Erza will be hindering your progress."

Terror instantly filled all of the Fairy Tail members.

"I'll also help out to get in your way!" beamed Mirajane.

Whimpers started echoing around.

"No complaining!" then warned Gildarts. "All S-Class wizards have gone through the same path…"

Understanding dawned on all listening, and a few fainted in horror.

"Gildarts, you're participating too?" cheered Natsu.

"That's not something to be happy about!" protested Gray.

"The ten selected participants and their chosen partners will assemble at Hargeon Port in one week. That is all!" concluded the wrinkled mage.

And once again, chaos took over the Guild.

* * *

.

.

"This year's gonna be tougher than ever," remarked Gray, arms crossed over his chest.

"I'm surprised that it's the first time for all of you," pointed out Lucy.

"I'm fired up! I'm gonna be S-Class for sure!" exclaimed Natsu, spitting fire everywhere.

Erik slammed his fist down onto his skull, sending him crash into the nearest wall. "Shut up!"

"If you don't mind me asking, why were you guys chosen too?" then wondered Lisanna, looking at the ex-criminals. "Weren't you already S-Class?"

"As criminals," confirmed simply Macbeth. "We have to start to zero again."

"Why wasn't Kaelys-san chosen too?" then wondered Wendy, curious.

"I was, but I refused the nomination," shrugged the teen.

Erik, Macbeth, Lucy, Juvia, Wendy and Carla didn't react at the announcement. Elfman, Lisanna, Gray and Happy nearly fell off their seats.

"What!?" gaped Natsu, suddenly back with them. "How could you refuse? _Everyone_ wants to be chosen!"

"Maybe, but I've only been around for three months," retorted the Thief mage. "I still have time, right? It's not like there's a time limit, or anything. There's still next year, and all the others after, right?"

The others thought over her words, until Elfman started crying anime tears. "That's so manly!"

The pink-haired boy opened his mouth, then shut it, before grinning at her. "Right! I still wanna fight you, though!"

"Maybe we'll have that chance soon enough," mused the teen. "I _am_ Macbeth's partner, after all."

"Really? Has everyone chosen their partners already?" blinked Lucy.

"I'm partnering with Happy, of course," replied Natsu.

"Aye!"

"Happy? That's not fair," however protested Elfman. "If the exam is a race, then flying would make it a breeze!"

"I'm pretty sure such important trials won't be about a mere race," Kaelys replied, shaking her head. "Plus, Erza, Mirajane and Gildarts are a part of it too, right? There's bound to be some fighting."

"For which you'll be in trouble, Natsu," agreed Gray, rather smugly.

"Gray, that's just mean," whined the blue cat. "I'm gonna make Natsu an S-Class wizard for sure!"

"I'm not holding back, even on my friends!" added the Fire Dragon Slayer. "And so… we can't hang around here! Time to train!"

Next thing they all knew, the boy was gone.

Lisanna stared at the now closed doors with a little smile.

"So in the two years since I've been gone, Natsu has become good enough to take the S-Class Exam, uh?" she mused. Then, she glanced back to Lucy. "Natsu thinks that he'll be able to find Igneel if he becomes a great wizard," she cleared up. "He feels twice as strong about this exam as most people."

"I see," smiled the blonde.

"Ano…" Juvia shifted in her seat, obviously uncomfortable. "Juvia would like to withdraw from this exam like Kaelys-san did…"

"Uh? Why's that?" blinked the black-haired teen.

The blue-haired woman muttered something under her breath, and Gray leaned closer, confused. "What was that?"

"I-I mean! It-it's because… because… Juvia…"

"She wants to be your partner, ice-for-brains," grunted Erik, crossing his arms behind his head.

The rain woman instantly started cursing at the Dragon Slayer and switching between embarrassment and anger. Gray however leaned back into his seat with a sigh, a small smile adorning his lips.

"Sorry, but I've already got a partner," he then informed.

"Long time no see, everyone."

Everyone jumped at the sudden appearance of Loke.

"What? Loke's your partner, Gray?" gaped the teen.

"We promised a year ago," he confirmed.

"Lucy…" The Leader of the Zodiac leaned down to Lucy's level. "I apologize, but I'll be lifting our contract for the duration of the trials. There's no need to worry, though! I traveled through the gate with my own Magic power. So, I won't use up yours."

"Wait, wait, wait," intervened Kaelys, a small smile slowly stretching her lips. "I just realized… That means I'll be able to fight everyone? That's so fricking cool!"

At first startled, the rest of the mages then started laughing at her newly found determination, even Macbeth chuckling a little.

"Just a second," then stepped in Elfman with a small frown. "Are you actually a member of the Guild, Loke?"

With a smug expression, Loke quickly took off his jacket to reveal the green guildmark tattooed on his back.

"I am still a Fairy Tail wizard," he assured proudly. "With pride in my Guild, I will make Gray an S-Class wizard."

"I'm counting on ya!"

"Leave it to me."

The two of them bumped fists. Then, Gray reported his attention to Juvia.

"There you go. You'd better give me your best shot," he warned with a grin. "Let's have a passionate battle, just like old times!"

Instantly, the blue-haired woman started swaying in her seat. Erik then slammed his head against the table with a pained groan.

"Why did you have to use that word on her…" he muttered, unfortunately hearing all of the crazy fangirl's fantasies.

"I'll partner with Juvia!" then announced Lisanna, determined.

"You're serious, Lisanna?" gaped her brother.

"I got along great with Edolas's Juvia," answered the white-haired girl with a small laugh. "And the Juvia here is kind of cute!"

"Lisanna-san…"

"Wait, Lisanna!" protested Elfman, crying… erm, manly tears. "What am I supposed to do for my own partner, then?"

"Why don't you ask Ever?" then proposed Kaelys, jabbing her thumb at the brown-haired woman farther behind them. "She's been staring at you for a while. I think she's a little pissed that, erm... well, the other one chose Bickslow as his partner, but I'm sure you two would get along great!"

"E-Evergreen…?" he paled, a shiver running down his spine. "With a stare that can turn you to stone…"

Kaelys slowly got up, walked all the way around the table, stopped next to him, climbed on the mentioned table, and then whacked him over the head with her bare fist. The man cringed in pain, instantly rubbing the sore spot.

"Ever is really nice, and she won't hurt a guildmate," she then scolded. "She's also very competitive and competent. If you team up with her, she'll do all she can to help you win."

The older wizard lowered his gaze, slightly ashamed. Understanding that, Kaelys then patted his shoulder in comfort.

"As an apology, you're now going to ask her to be your partner," she ordered.

"B-but-"

"Come on," she then smirked. "Be a _man_ and do it."

As if a switch went off, he instantly jumped to his feet and, without another look behind, ran to the brown-haired woman and stopped abruptly before her. He then bowed, loudly asking her to partner up with him. She gaped for a second, obviously not expecting it, and shot _the_ look at Kaelys. The teen shrugged innocently in return.

Evergreen sighed, before hitting Elfman over the head with her fan but nonetheless accepting his request.

"That was kind of mean, Kae. Manipulating him like that…" sighed Lucy, even though deeply amused.

"He needed a partner, she wanted to get back at the other one and Bickslow," shrugged the girl, going back to her seat. "It's a win-win situation, right?"

For only answer, the rest of the mages laughed again.

* * *

.

.

Kaelys laughed, flying around as she tried to catch the numerous snowflakes gently falling down. It was cold, but she didn't care. It had been so long since she last saw snow! She might have seen some during missions, but never had any struck as memorable as the one now covering the streets and roofs of Magnolia.

"Get down here before you catch a cold, Loudmouth!" snapped Erik.

"His brother complex is getting annoying," she muttered under her breath.

 _"_ _I DON'T HAVE A BROTHER COMPLEX!_ And I'm only saying that because if you fall sick, then Beth won't have a partner for the trials!"

"I won't- hey, there's someone in the alley!"

Not waiting for the rest to catch up, she flew down into the mentioned alley and landed next to the mysterious person. It was a woman, lying amongst many bottles of alcohol. The snow was starting to recover her body, and she looked awfully familiar.

"Who-"

"C-Cana!?" Lucy instantly recognized the woman, arriving behind Kaelys. "That's no place to be dead drunk!" She shook her head with a sigh, before biting her lower lip and turning to Erik. "Can we-"

"Drag her home if you wanna," he huffed, hands in his pockets. "I ain't touching that woman."

The blonde beamed at him, and Kaelys simply used her telekinesis to lift the unconscious body. As they started moving again, though, there was a 'THUMP' behind them, and the Sound mage groaned in exasperation.

"Not again…"

Lying in the snow was Macbeth, now too unconscious thanks to one nasty nosebleed.

* * *

.

.

Cana ended up spending the night at the house, leaving later in the morning. All along, Lucy had talked to her and Kaelys chose to let them be. Erik obviously heard everything they were saying, but the teen decided not to ask when he paled dramatically at what the girls were saying. Some things were obviously best unknown.

And now, a week after the whole incident and the announcement of the trials, all of the teams started gathering at the Hargeon Port.

Gray and Loke. Lisanna and Juvia. Elfman and Evergreen. Freed and Bickslow. Mest and Wendy. **(A/N: I always thought 'what the actual fuck?' at that moment, btw.)** Levy and Gajeel. Lucy and Cana. Natsu and Happy. Erik and Cubellios- _Kinana. Her name's Kinana_. And finally, Kaelys and Macbeth.

As they reached the port, a gigantic ship with the guildmark on its sail arrived to greet them, the Master already on. And as each team climbed on one after the other, excitement started bubbling in Kaelys's chest.

This was a test of strength.

This was a test of will.

This was a test of Magic.

This was a test… for everything she had achieved or had yet to achieve. And, while she wasn't one of those actually competing in this exam, she knew her day would come. She wasn't ready but, by the time of the next trials, she would be.

She swore it.

 **'** **Well, let's get this party started, shall we?'** laughed Shirokage. **'Damn, this is going to be fun!'**

For once, she could only agree.

* * *

 **Okay! Again, short chapter. I hope you guys understand why she refused to participate, but I didn't want her to pass the seven years alone either. It _could_ have been interesting, but I preferred to do it the other way around. I hope you'll like it anyway!**

 **I love you guys, and I'm looking forward to your reviews!**


	27. The S-Class Trials

**Okay, let's get this shit started with. I've got to warn you guys, though: loads of angst incoming! Sure hope you can handle the dive~**

 **Enjoy!**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

"So… hot…"

Kaelys was _dying._ Really, she was! And who could blame her? She was wearing a red shirt, with a skirt and her boots. Compared to the other girls' bathing suits, or the guys' shorts, it was like an heavy coat you'd wear for winter.

"Because of currents, this area has the same climate all year around," informed Cana, fanning herself without much success.

"I'm melting…" whined Lucy, slouched in her chair.

They left the port two hours earlier, and the heat was getting to everyone, kind of. Juvia didn't seem to mind despite the furs she was wearing, and Freed and Bickslow were discussing strategy farther in the back without trouble. Natsu, however, was suffering from yet another harsh case of motion sickness. And, looking close enough, any could see the faint green creeping on Erik's cheeks. He had discarded his usual coat, and leaning not-so-casually against the railing, Cub- _Kinana_ sitting on the deck with bands of sweat running down her forehead.

Kaelys blinked slowly, her gaze resting on the purple-haired woman.

"… I never actually talked to her since she was transformed," she mused under her breath.

That wouldn't do. C- _Kinana_ had been the first she befriended amongst the Oración Seis members, and she'd be damned if she let their friendship got to waste, loss of memories or not.

"I'll talk to her once we're done with the trials," nodded firmly the teen.

 **'** **Ought to be soon enough. We're here'**

Kaelys hadn't bothered putting on her eyepatch for the duration of the exam, thus allowing the Demon to see the world through his own eye. It was a certain mark of trust from the teen, one she hoped she wouldn't come to regret later. While she knew Shirokage was by no mean a friend, he was still helping and he _did_ have a soft side, deep… deep, deep, _very_ deep down.

Somewhere.

Kind of.

Anyhow, he could see. And now, he was seeing the island on which would happen the trials.

"It's in sight!" Loke exclaimed, warning everyone else.

Kaelys gasped at the sheer beauty of the place, and even Macbeth's jaw slacked at the incredible sight. The island was kind of small, towered over by a gigantic tree growing right in the middle of it.

And they could feel it Magic power from _miles_ away.

"That's amazing!"

"Is that Tenroujima?"

"What a freaky shape…"

"There's an island… on top of the island?"

"Very impressive."

"Not too shabby, I guess…"

Natsu simply threw up overboard again.

"It's said that long ago, there were fairies on that island."

All of the mages startled at the sudden appearance of the Guild Master. He grinned down at them, and Erik silently swore to himself that one day, he'd find a way to eradicate all Hawaiian shirts from the surface of this earth.

That shit was just _wrong._

"Also, in reference to the very first Fairy Tail Master, it is Mavis Vermillion's sleeping ground! Now, I shall announce your first trial. You see the smoke rising over the shore? First, head over there. You'll find ten passages, but only one team can enter each passage. And at the end of each passage, this will happen."

He waved his hand, and a gigantic banner with the word 'battle' appeared. Then, a second one with the word 'calm' and finally, one with 'pitched battle'. It was actually a map of each passages, with the pictures of the three S-Class mages that were waiting for them.

"Only the teams that get through this will pass the first trial," pursued the wrinkled man.

"It says 'pitched battle' on Erza and Gildarts' faces…" mused Gray.

"Battle?"

"What's that?"

"There's 'calm' too…"

"Let me clear this up. In the Battle Route, two teams amongst the ten go head to head, and only the team that wins can go on. The Pitched Battle Routes are the most difficult, as you must defeat a current S-Class mage to proceed. Finally, the Calm Route can be used to get to the end without fighting," explained Makarov. "Listen up! In this trial, you are being tested on 'armed might' and 'luck'!"

There was a moment of tensed silence. Then, without warning, Kinana suddenly turned into her snake form. Erik jumped onto her back and she spread her wings, the two of them taking off.

All of the participants stared at their retreating form, flabbergasted.

"Well, what are you guys waiting for?" then exclaimed the Master, now grinning madly. "Shoo, shoo! Get going! The test has already begun!"

In the distance, a faint cackle echoed.

Reacting fast, Kaelys used her telekinesis to fly away, levitating Macbeth along… until they hit a rune wall. They more or less softly landed, and Kaelys fell to her knees, moaning in pain while cradling her head.

"Runes!?"

"No way!"

"Relax, it'll disappear in five minutes!" then exclaimed Freed, who was already flying away with Bickslow.

"Freed!"

"You bastard!"

"You okay, Kae?" murmured Macbeth.

"My head hurts…"

Both knew that wasn't what he was asking about, though. They both knew how "well" she handled being trapped, after all.

After a few more seconds, she sighed heavily, lowering her gaze.

"I won't last the five minutes," she then admitted, somewhat ashamed.

"Then let's go now. Don't want you having a crisis in the middle of the trials."

Because even though she knew it was only an exam, even though she knew everyone here were friends, even though she knew she wasn't in any danger… she could feel the panic, the worry, the dread slithering in her veins. Only the presence of her friends allowed her to keep control, but she wouldn't be able to stay trapped like this much longer.

Even if she could see the sun.

Even if she could feel the breeze.

Even if she could smell the sea.

Even if she could hear the waves.

Because, no matter the circumstances… a cage is a cage.

Some are just prettier than others.

Macbeth rose back to his feet, drawing some attention. Extending his hand, he closed his eyes for a moment. Then, the wooden deck started trembling, before slowly ripping itself apart from the inside. All wizards watched in mild panic as the Reflector mage just kind of blew a hole in the middle of the ship.

Using the opportunity, Kaelys flew the both of them outside. By the time the rest of the participants got over their initial shock, though, Macbeth had already nullified his spell and returned the ship to its normal form.

"Gah! Beth, Lys, you jerks!" protested Natsu, hitting against the rune wall.

"Later!" she waved cheerfully.

And then, they started flying towards Tenroujima.

* * *

.

.

By the time they got there, the A Route and the F Route were blocked already. She turned to Macbeth.

"Which one?" she asked as he narrowed his eyes at the entrance.

"… I could make all of them crumble. That'd be an easy win."

"Macbeth, no."

* * *

.

.

They had been walking down their chosen path for a few minutes now. The entrance had been sealed off as soon as they stepped in, and Kaelys was doing her best so as to not let the panic take over.

She wasn't trapped. There was a way out to the other side of the tunnel. Plus, it wasn't even dark, and Macbeth was with her. There was no danger whatsoever, and she had to focus on the trials.

 **'** **The more time passes, and the more I realize I** ** _truly_** **could have beaten you easily, back in the cave'**

"You simply underestimated me. I never lied to you about my abilities. I don't do lying," she shrugged.

 **'** **Ugh, don't I know it'**

"Kae, we're here."

Blinking, the teen stepped forward as the path finally widened, leading the two of them into a much bigger room. All around were floating light bugs, and she only now noticed the stream flowing just next to them. On the other side of the room was a door, obviously the one they had to take.

Someone was standing in between, though.

"Macbeth, Kaelys. I see you have chosen the wrong path."

" _Fuck…"_

Kaelys paled.

Macbeth gulped.

Shirokage laughed.

Erza smirked.

* * *

.

.

"Oh, it's one of the Battle Routes," remarked Lisanna, taking a look around. "Do you think we'll have to wait for another team to show up?"

"More like we were the ones doing the waiting."

A chill ran down both girls' spines at the voice. Glancing to the most shadowed part of the cave, it's only then that they realized someone had gotten here before them.

And it was _not_ a someone to take lightly.

"Doc- Erik." Lisanna still had some difficulties adjusting to the personalities of the members of the Guild, seeing as she had grown used to those of Edolas.

"Don't think I'm like that mad bitch," grunted the man, getting up with a lazy stretch. "I might be an asshole, but I'm not _that_ much of an asshole. Kind of."

There was a soft hiss to his right from Kinana, making him roll his eyes.

"We cannot continue forward unless one of us wins this battle, correct?" Juvia then narrowed her eyes at the sealed door at the opposite side. "Then let us waste no more time. Juvia shall beat you at once! _Water Slicer!"_

Because even if Erik was an antisocial jerk and an ex-criminal who actually joined the Guild only because he'd end up rotting for the rest of his life in prison… Well, Juvia knew how this kind of person thought.

After all, she too had been an enemy of Fairy Tail, once.

* * *

.

.

"Well… I always did want a rematch."

"I already know how to counter your Magic," replied Erza.

She was already wearing the _Robe of Yūen,_ her elastic armor.

"I remember perfectly well the three weaknesses of your Magic," she stated. "One: this armor. Your Reflector Magic has no effects on it. Two: you cannot control the human body, or anything living. Three: you cannot use your Magic on more than one thing at a time. And of course, your illusions are useless against me, because of my eye," she explained. "You truly couldn't have found a worst opponent. Do you truly wish to try yourself against me anyway?"

"It's not like I can just back out of this," he grunted. "Kae would have my head."

"Damn right I would!"

"And it's two against one," he added, hands shoved in his pockets. "We might not be as strong, we might not be able to use our Magic to its full extent, and we certainly can't deal true harm… but we are now members of Fairy Tail. We know better than to give up at the first obstacle."

The redhead stared at him for a moment, before smiling a little, twirling her _bisentō_ in her hands.

"Well said. Let's get started, shall we?"

 _"_ _Invisible Scythe."_

Erza deflected the blades of wind with ease. However, as she was about to attack, the rock on which she was standing started shaking violently. Then, it exploded. She hit the wall with a grunt, somehow falling on her feet despite the strength of the blow, and she glared a little at Kaelys.

The teen shrugged innocently. "What are partners for?"

That did earn a laugh from the Knight as she straightened. "Very well. I won't underestimate the two of you again."

Because while she knew very well how to counter each of Macbeth's attacks, the same couldn't be said of Kaelys's. Telekinesis was a very volatile power, with limits that had yet to be determined. And, most of all, the two of them once were partners. They knew how to fight together, how to compliment each other's styles. They were a team of experienced fighters, who also knew her like she knew them.

Erza would have to take this fight seriously, that much was certain.

* * *

.

.

Erik was growing annoyed. While Kinana took care of the Take-Over mage, he was stuck with the water witch.

His Sound Magic was ineffective against her water-body, and his poisons weren't that much more useful. It's not like he could use anything lethal, which was already hindering his style, and she kept diluting whatever he managed to hit her with.

If there was one good thing, though, it was that she still hadn't managed to get the drop on him. Hearing all of her intentions, he easily avoided her attacks. She was growing more and more agitated, and he knew he would be able to use this to his advantage.

After all, an agitated mind was easy to manipulate.

Even though it was fucking annoying to hear.

* * *

.

.

Erza was tiring out. She couldn't land a hit on Macbeth, his shield was up at all times and he kept deflecting her attacks. What he couldn't stop, Kaelys would block for him with her Telekinesis. She hadn't intervened in the fight yet, or at least, not directly. She just kept throwing things around and building the field at her partner's advantage.

They were a good team, that much was obvious. As long as the two of them worked in such sync, she wouldn't get the upper hand –at least, not if she wanted to avoid seriously harming them.

The redhead was about to take a more physical approach on the problem –obviously, she wouldn't win with Magic alone- when something came flying her way. Believing it to be yet another rock, she deflected it without much of a thought.

The noise of metal against metal echoed, making her eyes widened.

The skin on her arm sliced open as the knife that had been sent her way embedded itself in the wall. She had gotten so used to the rocks, she hadn't expected an actual weapon to be aimed at her. It was her mistake, she shouldn't have merely assumed and let herself get lulled in a false feeling of assurance. She wouldn't make that mistake again.

Kaelys and Macbeth exchanged a knowing smirk. It was only a question of time, now.

* * *

.

.

 _Okay, nevermind. She's just not giving up._

Erik wanted this fight to end, and he wanted it to end _now._ He was tired, he was annoyed, and he was drenched from head to toe.

He was fucking _done_ with this fight.

"Oi, rain woman!" he called, making her tense. "How 'bout a deal?"

"I don't want-"

"It's about the ice prick," he rolled his eyes.

 _That_ caught her attention. "What about Gray-sama?"

"Okay, look: I can hear souls, and I can kind of hear thoughts now, somehow. So, here's the deal: you yield this fight, and I'll spend the next week helping you get your man."

"How can Juvia be certain you will keep your word?" she narrowed her eyes, though she was obviously tempted.

"I might be a liar, but I ain't a traitor." He clicked his tongue. "If I give my word, then I keep it. So, deal?"

"No, wait, Juvia-" Lisanna tried to intervene, but Kinana simply shoved her away.

"Deal! Juvia yields the fight, and Juvia expects you to keep your end of the bargain."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Thanks, I guess."

The door unsealed itself, allowing the winner to pass. With a lazy wave, he gestured for Kinana to follow him. The snake instantly changed back into her human form, and she apologized profusely to the two woman before going after him.

"That was mean, Erik," she pouted a little, once they were far enough.

"Hey, it worked, didn't it? Plus, someone who lacks drive like she does doesn't deserves to become an S-Class mage," he retorted.

"I guess… Still, you better help her like you promised! I won't forgive you if you don't," she warned, crossing her arms over her chest with a huff.

"I know that!" he protested. He started rubbing his temples. "Why am I surrounded by such troublesome women…"

* * *

Somewhere in another universe, Nara Shikamaru sneezed.

* * *

.

.

"W-what…"

Erza swayed on her feet as her vision suddenly blurred.

"Oh, finally kicking in?" mused Macbeth. He was panting and some bruises were starting to bloom, but he was still standing strong.

"What- what's happening…" gasped the redhead, a knee on the ground.

"It was my knife from earlier," answered Kaelys, approaching them. "A birthday gift from Erik. Of course, the poison isn't lethal or anything. Just a little something that'll weaken you. It'll wear off in an hour or so, no worries. So, do you yield?"

"I'm… I'm not… done yet!"

Muscles stiff, Erza rose to her feet in one last show of defiance, and propelled herself at Kaelys. Slamming the young girl into the wall, she then placed her weapon against her throat. Before she could demand for their surrender, the teen's breath suddenly hitched.

Erza made yet another mistake, and that one wouldn't be as easily brushed off.

The black-haired teen blasted her away, completely loosing focus. Her eyes were wide, rolling in their orbits. She was gasping for air, scratching harshly at her arms and stomach. She was suddenly underwater, surrounded by darkness, memories flashing in and out of reality. A shield started rising around her, the wind picking up.

"Damn it!" Reflecting her Magic, Macbeth somehow managed to reach her. "Kae! Kae, snap out of it!"

 _Erza stabbed her._

 _Erza stabbed her._

 _It hurts._

 _It burns._

 _It wasn't Erza._

 _But Erza stabbed her._

 _It hurts._

 _She's dying._

 _Not-Erza stabbed her._

 _Was it Erza?_

 _It hurts._

 _It hurts._

 _Erza stabbed her._

 _Not-Erza burned her._

 _Erza tried to kill her._

 _It hurts._

 _Wasn't it Erza?_

Completely forgetting about the trial and the fight, Macbeth forcefully pushed through her mental shield. He kept on moving forward until she was at arm's reach. Instantly, he grabbed her wrists to stop her from hurting herself even more. A scream finally broke out of her mouth as she collapsed, struggling to fight her hallucinations.

 _"KAELYS!"_

She stopped moving. Her body went lax, her ragged breathing the only noise that now echoed in the cave.

"I should have known…" Macbeth cursed under his breath. "Damn it, I didn't even think of this…"

"Is she- is she alright?" Erza, still slumped against the wall, could no longer move because of the paralyzing poison now fully taking effect.

"S-she'll be fine," he exhaled deeply. "She'll get better. She always does."

"It-it is twice that I h-have caused such-such harm now," grunted the Requip mage. "I-I-"

"It's not your fault," he shook his head. "She was already shaken with being trapped in the cave and all that. Plus, you're not the one who hurt her, back in Edolas. She's just… getting over it. It'll take some more time."

At the same moment, the sealed door finally open. He frowned, glancing back at the now unconscious Kaelys lying in his arms.

"Move forward," ordered Erza, her tongue now numb. "The M-Master is- is awaiting you all. H-he'll know what- what to do…"

"Alright," he got up, lifting the teen. "Someone should come to retrieve you as soon as we get there."

"V-very- very well. A-and Macbeth?"

"What is it?"

"G-great fight. I-I expect… a re-rematch."

His lips quirked upward at that, and he started walking away. "Sure thing."

* * *

.

.

When Macbeth reached the end of the tunnel and stepped outside, he was greeted by the sight of Erik and Kinana arguing, Lucy and Cana playing cards, and Natsu sulking. As soon as he arrived, though, all eyes fell on him.

"Kae!"

Lucy instantly rushed to his side, worried. "Is she okay? What happened?"

Erik soon followed, frowning. "She had another attack, didn't she? I couldn't hear anything beyond my path until I came out."

"She had a flashback to when Knightwalker stabbed her," the black-haired boy sighed, handing the teen over to his friend. "I managed to calm her down, and she passed out after that. Where's the Master?"

"He's not here yet," Lucy answered, worried. "Come on, let's lay her down for now."

"What happened to her?" Kinana wondered, an hand over her mouth.

"We fought Titania," sighed heavily Macbeth, sitting down while Erik laid the teen on the grass. "Kaelys got her with Erik's knife, so we ended up winning, but Titania acted on impulse and more or less stuck her in the same position she had been when she was hurt, back on Edolas."

Kaelys was as pale as a ghost, and she wasn't moving. Hell, she didn't even seem to be breathing. Was it not for the faint rise and fall of her chest, most would have believed her dead.

Macbeth sighed. _Erik, we need to talk._

The maroon-haired man glanced at his best friend, whose eyes were now closed. He looked like he was taking one of his usual naps. Next to them, Kinana had shifted back into her snake form, her head lying on the girl's stomach. At the familiar presence, the teen seemed to finally relax, somewhat.

"Sunshine, go back to your partner," the Poison Dragon Slayer ordered. "We'll handle this."

"But I…" Lucy trailed off. No matter what, it was still an exam. And, even if she wanted to help, what could she do? "Fine. Just… just tell me, if anything happens."

The purple-eyed mage nodded, and she sighed in resignation, before returning to Cana's side. While she quietly explained what had happened to the brunette, Erik reported his attention on Macbeth, who had now cracked an eye open.

"It's getting worst," the red-eyed man remarked quietly. " _She's_ getting worst. Erik, this can't keep going on like that. We're lucky my Magic allowed me to pass her own shield because otherwise, she'd be wrecking havoc right now."

"She's gotten better at self-control," pointed out the snake-lover, clenching his jaw.

"Not when it comes to her mental health. No one can blame her for that, but we need to do _something,_ " stressed the younger mage. He ran an hand through his hair. "If this keeps going, she'll end up seriously hurting someone, and you know as well as I do that she'd rather die than do something like that. Fairy Tail helped, sure, but... I'm starting to doubt whether this place is actually good for her, or not."

"None of us will be able to push her out, and doing that will end up _destroying her._ I _know_ that she's messed up, I hear her distorted soul everyday even if I can't hear her thoughts," grunted the maroon-haired wizard. "But what do you want us to do?"

Macbeth kept silent, and understanding dawned on him.

"You want her to see a shrink?" He choked on air. "You crazy or something!? She'll go on a fucking _rampage!"_

The teen next to them groaned softly, shifting, and both tensed a little. After a few seconds, noticing she wasn't waking up, they relaxed.

"She'll never trust someone like that, and anyone would understand that," he pursued in a hushed tone. "Hell, she'll kill us all at that point. Or at least destroy Magnolia."

"I know! But… She's already broken beyond repair at that point, and we need to fix the pieces before she fully falls apart, somehow. And while her attacks are getting worst, she still has grown a lot. If we talk about this, she might understand."

"She's _terrified_ of that damned place still," growled lowly Erik. He shook his head. "I can hear her nightmares, some nights. And… yeah, they've gotten worst since we got back, but we can't just sick a _shrink_ on her. She'll end up believing we're abandoning her or some bullshit along those lines."

"So _what,_ then? What do we do?"

"I… I don't know, Beth. I honestly don't know."

After what, they fell silent.

* * *

.

.

Gray and Loke showed up. Both paled dramatically at the sight of the unconscious teen, but let it go when they were told that she had faced Erza.

 _No one_ came out of facing Erza unscathed. That they passed at all was a fricking miracle, seriously.

"My, my, many passed the first trial, I see…" All startled as the Master appeared out of nowhere. "Anyhow, I believe that is everyone. So, here are the results, to date. Cana and Lucy defeated Freed and Bickslow in battle, and passed through! Erik and Kinana defeated Juvia and Lisanna in battle, and passed through! Natsu and Happy managed to get passed Gildarts somehow, and passed through! Levy and Gajeel passed through the Calm Route with good luck! Finally, Gray and Loke defeated Mest and Wendy in battle, and passed through! And- wait, WHAT!?"

The Master gaped at Macbeth, who didn't look all that beaten up, to be honest.

"You managed… to defeat Erza…?" he paled.

"We paralyzed her," answered the Reflector mage, yawning. "You might want to go pick her up, she won't be able to move for at least thirty more minutes."

"I see. And… is Kaelys alright?" sweatdropped the wrinkled man.

At that, though, the expression of most of his precious children darkened somewhat. Instantly noticing it, he decided to wrap things up quickly and then question Macbeth.

"All that's left are Elfman and Evergreen," then remarked Lucy.

"They must have taken the route of that demon barmaid," pointed out Erik.

Everyone paled at that.

"Poor things."

"It was nice knowing them."

"When are the funerals?"

"JUST WAIT A DAMN SECOND!"

At the yell, all eyes snapped to the forest, from which none other than Elfman and Evergreen stepped out.

"We managed to beat Onee-chan!" exclaimed proudly the white-haired mage.

"We've passed through the first test," added the woman, helping him stand.

"Incredible!" gasped the Master.

"How did you get passed Mira?" wondered Happy.

Instantly, their smugness vanished as they both made weird faces.

"It's… not manly to brag."

"Let's just say we found an opening and slipped through."

Erik stared at them for a few seconds. Then, he snorted. Slapping an hand over his mouth, he then burst into laughter.

"O-Oh God, this is precious!"

"SHUT UP, SNAKE FACE!" shrieked Evergreen.

The Poison Dragon Slayer kept on laughing. While he choked to gain back some air, Makarov coughed in his fist to gain back the attention.

"Anyhow, the teams that have passed the first trial are: Natsu and Happy, Gray and Loke, Levy and Gajeel, Erik and Kinana, Cana and Lucy, Macbeth and Kaelys, Elfman and Evergreen. Those seven teams. Now, we will begin the second trial!"

Everyone exchanged determined glances at that. Well, saved for Erik who was still dying of laughter and Macbeth, who was now snoring.

"Gray, Cana, Levy, Elfman, Erik, Beth! Let's fight and see just who'll become an S-Class wizard!"

"I ain't gonna loose to you," assured the Ice Make mage.

"Tche," grinned Cana.

"Me neither!" assured Levy.

"As a man, I will take on that challenge!" Elfman slammed his fists together.

"I'll get you back for that battle on Nirvana," smirked Erik, back amongst the living.

Macbeth snored again.

Everyone now good and pumped up again, Makarov took back their attention.

"Now then, I will announce the details for the second trial of the S-Class Wizard Advancement Exam. The second test of the exam… is searching for the grave of Mavis, our founding Guild Master.

"Founding Guild Master?"

"Mavis's grave…"

"What? That sounds too easy."

"Aye!"

"You have only six hours!" pursued the old man, unperturbed. "Hear that? I said six hours. I'll be waiting at Mavis's grave. Before that, though… Macbeth. I will bring Kaelys back to the camp so that she can be treated. Would you rather drop out now or pursue the exam despite lacking a partner?"

At that, the black-haired boy opened slightly his eyes. Then, lazily stretching, he slowly stood up and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Kaelys will kill me if she learns I abandoned the exam just for checking up on her," he replied plainly. "And I can hold my own. I'll keep going."

"Good. I will see you all in six hours, then. Good luck!"

With that, he used his Magic to lift Kaelys and left through the tunnel where was still trapped a paralyzed Erza.

* * *

.

.

Kaelys pushed open the curtain blocking the entrance of the tent she had just woken up in. She didn't remember much of what had happened, only that they had pretty much won the fight against Erza. She also easily guessed she had had another attack, if the ghost pains in her stomach and the not-so-subtle discussion between Macbeth and Erik earlier was anything to go by. Because, you see, she wasn't unconscious. Or at least, not fully.

And she heard _everything._

With a sigh, she grabbed the knife hanging to next to the exit before stepping outside. The sun was still shining bright, brighter than ever, and it was still as hot as she remembered it to be. Hearing voices, she headed for the center of the camp, only to find Erza now making some barbecue and chatting with Mirajane, Juvia and Lisanna.

"What? Elfman and Evergreen are getting married!?"

"And while I was still blanked out, they landed some attacks," admitted sheepishly the white-haired woman.

"Just a moment! When is the wedding? And when did those two even started-"

"No, no, I think it was just a plan to throw me off guard. Guess I have a long way to go still, right?"

"Was it really just a plan?"

"Surely," the teen answered, startling everyone. "Though I think we'll see them together a lot after the exams. Just a hunch, really."

"Kaelys! Are you feeling better?" Lisanna smiled at her.

"Yeah, I'm fine… Say, you guys lost?"

At that, Juvia and the Take-Over mage slumped in defeat, making her cringe.

"Sorry…"

"Do you remember what happened?" asked kindly Mirajane.

"I put the pieces together," she shrugged, shifting in place. She rubbed her wrists a little. "Erza, I'm really sorry about that. I just-"

"No, it is I who should apologize," retorted the Requip mage stiffly. "I should have known that attacking you in such a way would result like that. You haven't have enough time to heal yet, which is understandable, and I truly apologize for not seeing it earlier! Please, feel free to hit me!"

Kaelys sweatdropped a little, and lightly tapped her over the head, knowing the Knight wouldn't let it go until she did it.

"Anyway, what's going on now?" she then asked. "There should be at least another team that didn't pass, right?"

"Freed and Bickslow were beaten by Cana and Lucy, and Gray and Loke beat Wendy and Mest," answered the younger Strauss, back to her cheerful self. "Freed and Bickslow already returned to the Guild with Gildarts."

"Now that I think about it… where _are_ Mest and Wendy?" then mused the white-haired woman. "They're late."

"Maybe they forgot the meeting place?"

"Mest, uh… I didn't meet him in Edolas, so I don't know much about him," remarked Lisanna. "He joined during the two years I was away, right?"

"Did he…?" blinked Mira, confused.

"I feel like he's always been there, though…" frowned Erza.

"I can't remember ever seeing his face before the exam," shrugged Kaelys.

"Not much of a presence, I guess," sighed Lisanna.

"Juvia will go look for them," Juvia proposed, getting up. "It is a little worrying…"

"Then I'll go as well. Mira, Lisanna, Kaelys, you stay here-"

"If you don't mind, I'd like to return to Macbeth," then asked Kaelys. "Technically speaking, I'm still his partner."

"Mmm… I guess you are right," nodded the redhead. "Very well, you can go look for him and return to the exam. If you find Mest and Wendy before me do, though, please send them back here."

"Will do. See you guys later!"

"Good luck!" both Strauss sisters waved cheerfully.

Waving back, Kaelys then took off without another look behind.

* * *

Macbeth would be fine alone, that much she knew. For now, she just wanted to be alone, and think. As she leisurely flew above the island, the teen lost herself in her thoughts.

Well, as much as she could while talking out loud.

"They talked about sending me… there."

 **'** **Not exactly, but still. Such great friends you have, uh?'**

"They wouldn't do that, you heard as much as I did, if not more," she scowled. "It's just… They're right, you know? No matter how hard I try, things just aren't getting better. _I'm_ not getting better."

 **'** **Well, that's kind of the only reason you're still alive, kid'**

"I know that! But… I don't _want_ to loose control any longer. I don't _want_ to be scared anymore," she clenched her fists, starting to ascend. "I told my mother I was moving on, but I'm mentally unable to do that. How can I let go of my past if my past doesn't let me go?"

 **'** **Ugh, you're a fricking mess. Why don't you try that therapy shit, then? Though I doubt it'd work'**

"I can't. Not… not after everything. I mean, I trusted Miss Kelly, and look where _that_ lead me," she scoffed. "No, if I go see someone like that again, then they'll end up writing me off as incurable or some shit like that, and I'll be sent to another hellhole again. Or even worst, they'll send me to the Magic Council to have me jailed because they think I'll go on a rampage and kill everyone."

She finally landed on one of the numerous trees, and sat on a branch, leaning against the trunk as the sunrays softly stroke her face.

 **'** **I have no idea who's that Kelly missy, and I kind of understand what happened, even though it's still kind of confusing. What I** ** _can_** **tell you is that you're more than probably right, for once. Plus, doing that would mean revealing my existence, which no one outside of Fairy Tail knows about. Wouldn't end well for you nor me, trust me on that'**

"I don't trust you," she deadpanned.

 **'** **Wise thing indeed. Though, what** ** _do_** **you want to do now? You'll always have issues, but they're getting dangerous for you** ** _and_** **for your oh-so-precious friends. You need to do** ** _something'_**

"I know that! But- but what? What c _an_ I do?"

 **'** **Get better'**

"I would if I knew how!" she snapped. "And I've been trying and trying but-"

 **'** **Bullshit~'**

"W-what?"

Shirokage laughed.

 **'** **You? _Trying_ to get better? Kid, all you've done is train to get stronger and to gain better control of your abilities. You've left everyone else to deal with your issues. You're trusting them to put up with your shit every day but you never actually lifted a single finger to try and take it on your own. How is ****_that_** **trying to get better?'**

"I… I never…" But she did, and the realization that the Demon was _right_ left a bitter taste in her mouth. "Alright, so maybe I did. What _are_ you suggesting?"

 **'** **Okay, because** ** _now_** **you're asking for my advice? Next what, we gossip and braid each other's hair?'**

"That would be weird, considering we'd simply end up braiding _my_ hair. You know, because you don't have any."

 **'** **Brat, I hate you** ** _so much_** **sometimes. But fine! You want to know what I really think? I think you should stop being afraid and get a move on already. You don't want to be scared? Then don't be'**

"B-but the panic attacks… the memories… I can't control it! My mind just can't accept the fact that it's done, and-"

 **'** **Then** ** _force_** **it to accept it. It might be a fucking mess, but it's still** ** _your_** **mind. You're the one supposed to control it, not the other way around. And if you can't win the battle against** ** _yourself,_** **then how can you ever expect to win against anyone else?'**

The girl kept quiet for a moment. Then, a small smile softened her features.

"Thanks, Shiro. You're actually a softie inside, aren't ya?"

 **'** **I AM NOT! I told you, didn't I!? I'll be the one killing you, no one and nothing else is allowed to! And stop with the fucking nickname already!'**

"Mmm… nope. Don't wanna."

 **'** **Fucking bitch...'**

There were suddenly screams, echoing just farther ahead. Lifting her eyes, she blinked when she saw none other than Elfman and Evergreen rolling down the side of a small mountain cliff, screaming all the way. They landed safely just a few meters away from her position, the Take-Over mage holding the woman against him so as to protect her from harm.

"Cute," the teen mused quietly.

"Gah!" Evergreen then kicked him off her, annoyed. "Stop that! That thing from before was a tactic to throw Mira off her guard! An act! I sure hope you didn't start thinking that I had a thing for you!"

"Not even for a second," deadpanned Elfman. "But I am thankful, though. That was one excellent underhanded plan you thought up."

"Don't call it underhanded."

Before Kaelys could step out of her hiding place, though, there was a noise from the bushes at the opposite of her hideout. Narrowing her eyes as the two mages tensed, she then felt ice twisting her guts as someone step out.

A boy. A man. She wasn't sure, but he was a wizard.

She knew him. Or at least, he was familiar.

And Shirokage was suddenly _jubilating._

"People…?" wondered quietly the newcomer. "People? On this island, people? And I'd thought there wouldn't be anyone at this place."

"Who the hell are you!?"

"Only members of our Guild are allowed on this island," Evergreen warned.

"Guild…? Oh, so this island is controlled by a Guild…"

"Oi, you-"

"Don't!"

The intruder raised his hand, stopping Elfman from advancing.

"You mustn't get close to me," he gritted his teeth.

"What are you saying?"

"I understand. I'll leave. But please… don't get close to me."

"Who is he?" Kaelys gripped tightly at her chest. "Who is he!?"

 **'** **That's my Master!'** cackled the Demon. **'I can't fricking believe it. He's alive! He truly is alive! And he must have felt my presence, just like I felt his! Go on, move! Let's go meet my Master!'**

"N-no…"

But it was no use, her body was moving on its own. Shirokage wasn't even controlling it, she was simply attracted like a magnet to the strange wizard. Her instincts were yelling at her to get away, but she simply… couldn't.

She dropped from her tree, landing on her feet.

"K-Kae!" gaped Evergreen, turning to her. "What are you doing here?"

"I-I…" The teen couldn't answer, unable to look away from the third mage. She took a step forward. Then another.

"Stop!" he protested heatedly, panic apparent in his gaze. "Don't get close! I'll leave, I swear, just don't approach me!"

She wasn't listening, though. She couldn't obey, no matter how much he plead. Her heart was beating too fast, her left eye was throbbing painfully, and she could do nothing but watch as her own body ignored her commands.

The stranger gripped tightly his head, apparently in pain.

"I-It's no use… I can't… It's coming!" Magic power was quickly building up around him. "The predatory death… is coming!"

Dark Magic. It was Dark Magic. And it was strong, and suffocating, and Kaelys could only keep on walking forward even if she just wanted to run away and never look back.

 **'** **That's it, that's it! Master, can you feel me? Master, can you hear me!?'**

"S-shut up…"

"IT'S OVER!"

There was a blast as, suddenly, the magical pressure was released and washed away from its source in a gigantic, mortal wave. It killed the leaves, the grass, the trees, turning everything to ashes and dust.

"GET DOWN!"

Kaelys took the hit, and she started drowning…

For about five seconds.

The magical pressure finally vanished. She gasped, collapsing to her knees and breathing harshly. Behind her, Natsu had slammed Evergreen and Elfman to the ground, just barely saving their life.

"You're… still alive…?" the man was staring at her, wide-eyed. His attention was however quickly brought back to the pink-haired boy, and tears started streaming down his face. "Natsu…"

"Who the hell are you?" snarled the Fire Dragon Slayer.

Heavy silence followed.

"NATSU!" Happy suddenly showed up. "What's gotten into you? Weren't we heading to the top?"

"I don't really get it," replied the boy, rising back to his feet. "But I smelled something _really_ freaky. Lys, you okay?"

"I… I think?" her breath hitched. What had just happened, damn it?

"T-the trees around him…"

"They're dying?"

"Is that his Magic?" wondered Happy.

Using the confusion, Kaelys tried to back away, but her body simply wouldn't move. She was frozen in place, at the mercy of a man who could very well kill her in a heartbeat.

"I don't know who you are, but this island belongs to our Guild!" then exclaimed Natsu. "Don't go busting in on our exam!"

"You've… grown up nice and strong."

"What?"

"I wanted to meet you, Natsu," pursued the dark mage.

Tensing, the pink-haired wizard then propelled himself at the intruder, and punched him in the face, sending him fly farther away.

"Who _are_ you!?"

"He punched him?"

"Right off the bat!"

"Figured that's what he'd do…"

The man landed gracefully on his feet, without an ounce of effort.

"I don't know who you are," growled lowly the Fire mage. "State your name!"

The man simply started crying again.

" _That's_ your Master?" Kaelys gritted her teeth, still unable to move.

 **'** **Show some respect, human! That wizard is our creator, our Master… he is the grand Black Wizard Zeref!'**

Suddenly, dark magic started gathering again. It weighed heavily on Kaelys's shoulders, almost forcing her to bow 'til her forehead touched the ground.

"W-what's happening to me?" She tried to fight it, she really did, but it just wouldn't work. "G-guys, get away from here! Quick!"

"R-run!" barked the man, obviously fighting to keep his Magic under control.

But it was too late. The blast was released. Once again, it felt as if Kaelys was simply drowning in a sea of death. Her whole body shaking as she tried to breath, dark spots started dancing before her eyes… until it all stopped as suddenly as it started. Coughing violently, she cursed through her wheezing until she realized that she could finally move again.

Rising on shaky legs, she didn't spare a glance for the other four of her guildmates, knowing them to be safe, before taking off.

She needed to find Master Makarov, and she needed to find him _fast_.

 **'** **He's still alive, and darkness is closing in! You might not see it, but it's already there, tainting that oh-so-sacred island of yours! And soon, soon! We'll serve by our Master's side again!'**

She ignored him. For now, she had to warn the Guild Master… and get away from the twisted threads of Magic still reaching out to her.

* * *

 **God... Okay, so I'll try not to comment too much on this chapter this time around. Let you guys draw your own conclusions, you know? And just like that: I am fairly aware that Zeref's Magic _should_ have killed her... but I didn't feel like it. That and I've decided that Demons were immuned to that shit, and so Kaelys is too because of Shirokage. **

**Anyhow, I sure hope you enjoyed this chapter, and look forward to the incoming storm~!**

 **Later!**


	28. We Are Fairy Tail, And My Name Is-

**Right, so I couldn't stop myself any longer, and so here's the new chapter!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

"The hell is _that!?"_

 **'** **No idea, but I can feel its Dark Magic from** ** _miles away._** **Hey, how 'bout joining them? Would be much less trouble than that happy-go-lucky Guild of yours, and funnier too-'**

"Not happening!"

She shot a glare at the flying ship still approaching the island, before pursuing on her way, even faster than before. However, a few seconds later, she found herself blinded by a sudden magical burst. Flinching away and shielding her eyes as much as she could, it took her a moment to get back to reality. When she lowered her arms, she gaped at the sight that greeted her.

A sword.

A motherfucking _huge_ sword.

"… what?"

 **'** **I… am as confused'**

Dropping instantly towards the forest, she noticed the trees shaking violently as a giant cloud of dust rose from the ground. Coughing a little as she passed through, she then reached the source, and found none other than Gajeel. He was pretty beaten up, with two weirdoes lying around farther away. The gigantic sword could no longer be seen, and she realized it must had been the man's doing.

"A chicken… and a… I don't even know what _that_ is," muttered the teen, landing next to the Iron Dragon Slayer. She kneeled next to him. "Hey, still alive?"

"Ugh…"

"I'll take that as a yes. Can you tell me what happened? Who are those guys?"

She glanced back to the unconscious foes. She easily noticed the guildmarks they displayed, and the familiarity of the sign almost made her head spin.

She knew she had seen it before. But where?

"GAJEEL!"

Kaelys tilted her head, only now noticing the three figures heading their way. First to reach them was a very distraught Levy, who didn't even spare her a glance as she fretted over her partner. Then arrived Juvia and Erza, whose steps faltered when seeing the utterly destroyed clearing.

"What…"

"G-Gajeel-kun?"

"Gajeel!" Levy didn't even dare touch him, hands trembling. "Hang in there, Gajeel!"

After half-a-second, the lips of the man quirked in his usual smirk, and a hoarse laugh followed.

"Gihi… I told ya I could handle 'em by myself…"

Tears of relief escaped the blue-haired girl's eyes, and Kaelys shook her head with a small smile. As she was about to go back to Erza for a quick debriefing of the situation –this attack and Zeref's appearance couldn't be a coincidence-, though, the weird-looking samurai started laughing.

"It's over!" he claimed, even though beaten. "The main force will be here at any moment! Wizards… wizards far out of my league are coming! The Seven Kin of Purgatory! Gwahahahah!"

Ice slithered in Kaelys's veins as she rose to her feet. With what had just happened, she had completely forgotten about the flying ship still approaching.

"Gajeel is strong… but it was basically a double-kill right now," she mumbled, rubbing her wrists. "If he ended up that way with the low-key members of the Guild that's about to attack… then those Seven Kin must be absolute _monsters…"_

"I am halting the exam!" then announced imperiously Erza. A strange cylinder appeared in her hands. "All hands, deploy for battle! Condition Red! Prepare to intercept!" A flare was shot, signaling the attack. It flew high above the island, before exploding. Only blinds would miss the signal. "There is no time to waste, the enemy is coming!"

She then Requiped into her armor. Shaking out of her daze, Kaelys quickly ran to meet with her.

"Erza-san, what should we do now?" inquired Juvia.

"For now, let's search for Mest and Wendy. It's possible they're lost and don't know where the camp is," answered the redhead. She then noticed the teen. "Kaelys, have you yet to find Macbeth?"

"Something happened," she shook her head, taking a deep breath. "There's… an intruder on the island. A Black Wizard, and a strong one at that. He doesn't seem to know how to control his Magic, and he almost killed Evergreen, Elfman, Natsu, Happy and I. Natsu was protected by his scarf, the others managed to avoid the attack, and I… Shiro seems to make me immune to it. However, it _kills_ everything. If you get caught, it's _over_ for you. Oh, and I spotted the ship on which the enemy is coming."

"I understand. We will be careful."

"Alright. Do we know who we're facing?" The Thief mage bit her lower lip, glancing back to the two fallen intruders. "Their guildmark is familiar, but…"

"Grimoire Heart, another Guild of the Balam Alliance," then answered Levy, propping Gajeel onto her back. "You must have met them a few times before, back when you were with Oración Seis."

Kaelys frowned. "I guess, but I don't remember much. I'll try to find Erik and Macbeth, they'll know more than I do."

"And I'll bring Gajeel back to the camp," added the blue-haired bookworm.

"Very well."

Gajeel grumbled under his breath about being able to walk on his own, but let Levy drag him away. After a moment, Erza reported her attention on the samurai, who was now sitting to face them.

Kaelys suddenly snapped her fingers in victory, realization hitting her. "He's a goat!"

There was a moment of silence, and she offered a sheepish smile. Shaking her head, the Knight then went to their enemy.

"Now then, let's hear what you're after."

"Tche. You think I'd talk to the likes of you?" he scoffed.

Not amused, she hit him over the head.

A gigantic and painful lump forming on his skull, the goat samurai gave in.

"It's Zeref…" he moaned pitifully. "The legendary Black Wizard Zeref! It's just as your little friend said… he's here, on this island."

"Impossible!"

"Zeref lived hundreds of years ago…" Juvia took a step back, frightened.

"Four hundred years, yes," he confirmed.

"I don't believe it!" protested the redhead. "There's no way he's alive!"

"If you don't believe me… then maybe you'll believe that girl. Didn't she just tell you about a strong Black Wizard roaming the island?" he mused.

"I…" Erza turned a disbelieving look at Kaelys. "Is it true?"

"… it's him. I… wasn't certain at first, but it would explain how I've been able to withstand his Magic," she gestured subtly to her eye. No way was she mentioning the demon before a worshiper of the evil man who created it in the first place.

"There, you see!?" cackled joyfully the goat. "But Master Hades sais that he's currently 'sleeping'. When Zeref finally awakens, this world will be bathed in pure darkness!"

"Don't be ridiculous! This is Fairy Tail's holy ground! You're telling me you plan to run rampant on this divinely protected island!?" snapped Erza.

"Master Hades' personal guard will be here soon," replied the samurai. "You'd do well not to underestimate the Seven Kin of Purgatory… The wizard of time, Ultear! Rustyrose! Our Boss, Caprico-sama! Kain Hikaru! Zancrow! Meredy! And the final one is already on this island… Gwahahahah!"

"What!?"

As the fiery woman ended up beating up the goat again, Kaelys took a step back.

"I'll find as many teams as possible and warn them of the full situation," she announced, already floating over the grass. "Please be careful, Erza, Juvia."

"You too, Kaelys," nodded the Knight, kicking the samurai into a tree. "And do not confront any of those mages alone."

"I pro…" she trailed off, before sighing. "I'll try."

She couldn't promise this, that much she knew. Trying was the best she could do, considering the circumstances.

Erza easily noticed the play of words, but said nothing about it. Waving to the two, Kaelys then took off once again. She would have to be careful, now, and find everyone as quickly as feasible.

"Hopefully, I won't run into any trouble…" she muttered.

But of course, we all know that nothing would ever be that easy, and even less for mages of Fairy Tail.

* * *

.

.

Kaelys hadn't been flying for long until an explosion just at the extremity of the island caught her attention. Zeroing onto the position, she quickly reached the peak, and narrowed her eyes.

Panther Lily was avoiding some sort of exploding spell, with Carla shouting instructions from the side. The spell was controlled by a man she faintly remembered seeing once, but she couldn't place his name.

Mest and Wendy suddenly appeared behind him, about to attack.

 **'** **I~di~ots. They'll get killed, underestimating their enemy like that'**

"No!"

Their opponent knew they were behind him, and they wouldn't be able to defend themselves in time. Raising her arms, Kaelys didn't think twice before gathering her Magic and casting her own spell.

 _"_ _Trap: Bubble!"_

It was one of the things she had been working on for a while, now. While she was able to use her Telekinesis to do a lot of things, she had never really thought about creating actual spells with specific uses. She always simply acted in the spur of the moment, but quickly learned after Edolas that she couldn't fully work with vague goals and blurred lines.

The detonating spell casted by the enemy was contained in the bubble she mentally created around him. It lasted for a few seconds, until the magical pressure became too much and overwhelmed her spell. The bubble burst, and what was left of the attack knocked everyone down.

Somehow managing to land safely on her two feet, Kaelys glanced to the beach farther down, where had crashed her four guildmates. Wendy and Carla were unconscious, Panther Lily had reverted to his normal form, and Mest could barely lift a finger.

"Ooh? Quite impressive. You have grown a lot, Truth. Normally, this spell would have destroyed everything and everyone in the vicinity."

She snapped her eyes at the man. It was the Grimoire Heart mage, obviously unarmed and still going strong.

"My name is Kaelys," she snapped, clenching her fists. "I believe we've met before, though I can't remember your name."

"I am Azuma," he simply answered. "We do have met, once. I never thought we would meet again, and even less under such circumstances. Betraying Oración Seis?"

She instantly grabbed the knife to her belt and pointed it at him. "Do not question my loyalties! I never betrayed Oración Seis, nor Brain for that matter. My loyalty is absolute, and now? It lies with Fairy Tail. I'd suggest you do not cross us."

He stared at her for a moment.

"You have changed," he finally stated. "But no matter. We have specific orders for you, Cobra and Midnight. Master Hades wishes to speak with you. If you follow me-"

"Get lost."

With a blast of Telekinesis, she managed to take him by surprise and quite literally sent him flying off the cliff. Using the momentum, she lifted Mest, Wendy, Carla and Lily before flying away as fast as she could, taking cover in the forest. They'd be safe there for now, even if it soon would turn into a battlefield.

* * *

.

.

"So you're a traitor."

"I never was a member in the first place, so I doubt it counts."

"Fair enough."

They had reached one of the numerous caves that could be found on the island, and Kaelys had wasted no time and putting everyone to safety. After checking up on Wendy and Carla –merely knocked unconscious by the sheer magical pressure- and the Panther Lily –he was exhausted, and slightly injured from his fight-, she had ended up cornering a still very-much conscious Mest, who then related everything that had happened.

She took his tale in stride, annoyed at his actual plans for Fairy Tail but still softened by the fact that he didn't lie to her.

"And now what?" she raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms over her chest. "Do you have any backup on the way?"

"… no, those battleships were all that I had at my disposal," he admitted, looking down.

"Seriously, though, what were you thinking?" sighed the girl. "I mean, Grimoire Heart shows up and _Fairy Tail_ is to be arrested too? Talk about stupid…"

"For all we know, you and your friends of Oración Seis planned everything," he scowled.

Instantly, he found a blade pressed against his throat. He froze as he felt the knife lightly slicing his skin, and fright settled in his gaze as his eyes met Kaelys's.

"I will tell you as I told Azuma," she snarled. "My loyalty lies with Fairy Tail, my friends and my family! Do not ever assume otherwise, or you might find yourself a head shorter!"

With that, she pulled away. Gasping, he collapsed to his knees, rubbing his neck. He could feel a few drops of blood tainting the tip of his fingers.

"Fairy Tail can't win against Grimoire Heart," he then bit out. "You'll all be destroyed!"

"Mest… or whatever your name is," she rolled her eyes. "Since I've met them, we destroyed a fricking walking city aimed to destroy the light in the world, fought a mechanical dragon set on taking over that damn same world, then we got sent into my _old_ world where we fought a mad Doctor, after what we ended up in Edolas –again, fighting a mad doctor AND another mechanical dragon-, before getting back here. I've also heard from the guys that they beat Eisenwald and Phantom Lord, destroyed the Tower of Heaven _you guys_ tried to kill everyone with, before coming back and fighting _themselves_ because of some tournament bullshit set up by one of their own." She then offered him an honeyed smile, which sent a chill running down his spine. "This? It'll be a tough battle, but nothing we can't overcome. We're the strongest Guild in Fiore, and all of our greatest wizards are currently on this very island. If you want to be worried about someone, then worry about Grimoire Heart, because they'll be meeting their demise before the end of the day."

With that, she started walking towards the entrance of the cave.

"I can't waste any more time with you. When you're able to move again, please, take Wendy and the others back to the camp," she simply asked. "It's the least you can do before leaving us to deal with our problems."

"W-wait, what do mean-"

His muscles suddenly stiffened.

"What-"

"We can't have you interfering right now," she announced, twirling her knife in her hands. "I apologize, but you'll be paralyzed for a while. Funny how it kicked in much faster than with Erza… then again, she's _Erza._ But anyway! You guys should be safe for the time being, so no worries!"

As she reached the sole exit, though, she stopped and glanced at him.

"One more thing: if you _ever_ try harming Fairy Tail again…" A smirk stretched on her lips. "Well, just wait and see what's going to happen to Grimoire Heart. It'll give you a fairly good idea."

And with that, she left.

Mest, now fully paralyzed, simply glared at the opposite wall.

He could say goodbye to his promotion.

* * *

Barely had Kaelys stepped outside that she was greeted with the sight of a gigantic Makarov. As in, tall-as-the-tree-of-Tenroujima gigantic. Sweatdropping a little –overkill much?-, she then shook her head and started flying through the trees.

No way was she going above now, she'd be in plain sight and a way-too-easy target.

Not a few meters farther, though, she ran into Natsu.

Quite literally.

She grunted when hitting the ground, while the boy managed to stay on his feet.

"Oh? Lys!" he blinked, helping her back on her feet. "You okay? What's going on?"

"Okay, quick resume: Grimoire Heart –a Dark Guild- is attacking. Their two weakest members were defeated by Gajeel, who was injured in the fight. Levy is bringing him back to the camp, where are Mirajane and Lisanna. Juvia and Erza are looking for everyone. Wendy, Mest, Carla and Lily were attacked by another member, who's part of a weird, super-strong squad of mages called the Seven Kin of Purgatory. I managed to save them, but they're out of the question if it comes to fighting again. Azuma is still roaming on the island. Also, the guy that attacked us earlier is actually the Black Wizard Zeref, which is their goal. Oh, and Mest is actually an agent from the Magic Council who's mission is to destroy Fairy Tail from the inside."

Silence followed as she breathed in deeply.

"… can you repeat that?" finally asked Natsu. "You lost me at 'Grimoire Heart'."

She sweatdropped, before shaking her head. "Super strong enemies are reaching the island. Two down, one still going. Gajeel, Wendy, Carla, Lily and Mest injured. The guy who damaged your scarf is actually the strongest Dark Wizard this world has ever known. And Mest is a double-agent." She sighed. "Everything clear?"

"… WHAT!?"

 **'** **Boy, this is going to take a while'**

* * *

She sent Natsu to the cave as he agreed to take care of the four and bring them back to the camp while she pursued with her initial goal: to find the teams and debrief them. However, as she flew, strange-looking orange bubbles started falling from the sky… and bursting, letting fall people with masks.

Soon enough, she was forced to stop her flight. Landing, she narrowed her eyes at the number of enemies already surrounding her.

"Are they human…?" she wondered, readying herself for the oncoming fight. "Or not? If they aren't, then I can kill them…"

 **'** **Ugh, that's why you should join Grimoire Heart.** ** _They_** **won't make a fuss about you killing people!'**

"I don't kill because I made a promise!" she snapped. "And because it isn't right!"

 **'** **Or so you were told. It's not like you actually understand why'**

"… maybe I don't," she relented. "It doesn't stop me from trying, though. Now shut up, and let me deal with this."

* * *

"Oi, need a little help?"

Natsu had been battling for a few minutes, now. Wendy had woken up just before he got there, along with the two Exceeds, and they were fighting with him. Mest, though, simply couldn't move. Kaelys paralyzed him or something, and the pink-haired boy had made a mental note to high-five the girl later on.

Even if the guy was from the Magic Council and it could get them in trouble… well, they were a bunch of assholes, so the teen definitely deserved some praise.

Anyway, they were starting to become overwhelmed by the number of enemies when a fellow Dragon Slayer showed up.

"Get your ass down here and do some work, snake-face!" exclaimed the Fire mage, though grinning. "Or are ya too scared?"

"Fuck off, ash-for-brains! _Roar of the Poison Dragon!"_

He jumped off of Kinana's back as the attack blasted away a dozen of their enemies. The flying snake then went after another group, as he landed next to them.

"I heard Loudmouth's explanation," he informed, taking a stance. He found himself back to back with the boy. "You guys have _no_ idea who you're dealing with."

"Another of the Balam Alliance, right?" replied the pink-haired wizard, punching one of the mages in the face. "You friends or something?"

"Tche, as if." The man kicked three of them into the stream, farther down. "Arrogant jerks, thinking they're all high and mighty… They can back it up, though. Those Seven Kin of Purgatory? It'll be _hell_ to get rid of them."

"You know them?"

"Only a few, never met all the members. Azuma, Ultear, Rustyrose and Hades. Other than those, I've never seen the rest of Kin," he answered.

"Geez, that's hurtful to hear. Oi, you guys, quit it! I'm tellin' you to quit it!"

A cackle followed as most of the invaders awed at the sudden appearance of a blond, red-eyed man amongst their ranks.

"Zancrow-sama!"

Erik facepalmed. "Forgot about _that_ maniac…"

"You guys can't handle these two!" he announced to his men. "You all, go search for Zeref. I'll take care of them, no problem!"

Erik clicked his tongue in annoyance as Kinana quickly flew back to his side.

Things were about to get messy.

* * *

"Up there! Be careful… he's not the same as the others!"

Lucy and Cana gritted their teeth, while Gray clenched his fists and Loke narrowed his eyes at their new opponent, the goat man.

This fight was getting out of hands.

* * *

"Who are you!?"

"My, my… first children and cats… and now women…"

Azuma pulled himself out of the tree, facing Lisanna and Mirajane.

* * *

Evergreen and Elfman sweatdropped as sparkles started flying around the weirdo they were now facing.

"… who is he?"

"Can't you tell? He's and idiot."

* * *

Erza brandished her sword at the pink-haired intruder while Juvia fell into stance. This girl was different from the many enemies they had just battled with, and the redhead had a bad feeling about it.

* * *

Somewhere in the forest, Macbeth cracked an eye open. After a few seconds, he sighed and yawned loudly, rising back to his feet.

Couldn't he have a peaceful nap, for once?

* * *

.

.

"Shit!"

"What?"

Erik avoided the black flames of Zancrow. "The old man is down! Hades beat him!"

"No way!"

The Poison Dragon Slayer gritted his teeth in annoyance as the pink-haired boy fell next to him. Zancrow was proving to be quite the pain in the ass, and they were all starting to run low on magic power.

"Erik."

The maroon-haired man, who was about to attack, stopped himself and tilted his head Natsu's way. After a few seconds, he grunted.

"I hear ya," he huffed. "The faster we do it, the better, so let's go!"

And with that, using Kinana's back, he propelled himself at the God Slayer. Ignoring as Zancrow's fire burnt through his clothes and started eating at his skin, he somehow managed to immobilize him and caught him in a lock, forcing him to the ground. He then sank his nails into his arms.

If there was one thing to know about Erik, it was that he never did things half-way. He wanted to use his abilities to his advantage and considering his strength in hand-to-hand combat… Well, it was easy to guess that he wanted something that fit his fighting style.

It had actually been Lucy's idea, and a damn good one at that. His nails had been sharpened, and coated with the same paralyzing poison of Kaelys's knife.

They just needed some time, now. But, of course, that wasn't a luxury they could afford at that moment.

The flames became even hotter, but Erik didn't let go.

"W-what do you think you're doing!?" screeched Zancrow, struggling like the Devil. He knew the damn man had done something to him, he just knew it. "I'm gonna kill you, Cobra!"

"Shut the fuck up! Oi, Natsu! Get to it already!"

The blond stiffened at that, before noticing the pink-haired boy now running at him. Determined not to loose, he managed to blast some of his fire at the Dragon Slayer, stopping him in his tracks.

"Fuck!" cursed Erik, still not letting go.

"Ah! Who's going to die first!?" cackled Zancrow, feeling the cold now spreading around the wounds on his arms, into which were still sunk Erik's nails. "Me? The Dragon Slayer? Or the traitor?"

Natsu started screaming, but Erik knew that, if he let go, then they wouldn't have a second chance at this.

 _Shit, shit, shit, what do I do? What do I do?_

Then, through his own pain, Natsu's screeching and Zancrow's cackles, he somehow managed to catch the train of thoughts of the pink-haired boy. Understanding what he had to do, he simply tightened his grip on the dark mage, hoping it'd work.

Natsu's magic power vanished.

"Kyahahah! And the Fire Dragon Slayer bites the dust first!" chanted the blond. "He- uh?"

A smirk stretched the maroon-haired man's lips as, out of nowhere, Natsu started eating Zancrow's flames. It was crazy, fricking impossible… but he did it anyway.

"N-no way! How is he eating the flames of a God!?"

"That's fire-breath for ya," simply replied Erik. He could smell his own flesh burning, which wasn't exactly a fun experience, but still held on tight. "And now… night time! Oh, and by the way? The name's Erik."

"Uh?"

Before the blond could react, the Poison Dragon Slayer suddenly loosened his grip and, without a second thought, threw him with all his might. Kinana simply kicked him even higher. And then, Natsu, using both his flames and Zancrow's, landed one last attack on their enemy.

Zancrow was sent flying, and disappeared from their sight in the following second.

Erik groaned, collapsing to the ground. Everything hurt so bad…

"I-I'll take care of it!"

 _Oh, forgot about Wendy._

As the little girl started healing his injuries, Natsu plopped down next to them. "Whew! That was one hell of a fight. You guys sure are strong!"

"Don't lump me in with those jerks," huffed the Poison Dragon Slayer. "Just go pick up the old man or something. We'll meet up at the camp."

"Good idea. Thanks for the help, Erik!" The pink-haired boy grinned at him, before holding out his fist.

The purple-eyed mage scoffed. After another second, he bumped his own fist against Natsu's. The boy cheered loudly, making him roll his eyes, and the Fire Dragon Slayer then quickly left with his blue cat.

"… don't push yourself, kid," Erik then warned Wendy. "I can handle a few burns. I've had worst."

"It's the least I can do," she however replied, still applying her Magic. "I couldn't help at all during your battle…"

"You would have been _killed._ Trust me, no one could have beaten him alone," he retorted, sitting up. "You okay to walk?"

"Y-yes, I'm fine," she nodded, finally pulling away. He could still feel some ache, but there would be no lasting damage, for which he was genuinely grateful. "But M-Mest-san still can't move…"

"Serves him right," scoffed the man, rising up. "Can't believe he tricked even me… Anyway, let's all just head back to the camp already. Everyone has to meet up there, and fighting together will be easier than taking them on our own."

"H-hai!"

As Wendy was about to add something, though, he ruffled her hair. She blinked up at him, but he was already walking away, hands shoved in his pockets.

After a second, she smiled a little, and followed.

* * *

.

.

"Ah, even with the bodies of the two loves in front of me, I could not be moved, even a tad. It was quite a fun act."

Smugly, Rustyrose readjusted the glasses over his eyes. He had been fighting Evergreen and Elfman for a while, now, but they wouldn't be a problem anymore.

"G-glasses?" gasped Elfman. "But I'm sure…"

"My Magic is the power of imagination. The Ark of Embodiment," replied the man. A dozen pair of glasses then appeared into thin air. "Anything I wish for is immediately embodied into reality."

"T-that Magic is ridiculous…" Evergreen wheezed out.

"Making dreams incarnate is near the very basis of Magic," shrugged the member of Grimoire Heart. "Of course, there are a number of limits and conditions, but it's not like I'll tell you guys about them-"

"You're arrogant. That would be the first of your many flaws."

There was a burst of wind. Then, Rustyrose's clothes tore themselves and immobilized him, making him fall to the ground. A figure then moved amongst the trees.

"M-Macbeth!" recognized Elfman.

The black-haired mage lazily stepped out of the shadows, fully revealing himself.

"Never thought we'd meet again," the red-eyed mage greeted the dark wizard.

Rustyrose barked out a laugh, and his clothes suddenly returned to their original form, freeing him.

"Midnight!" he exclaimed, rising back to his feet. "Why, it's been a while! Say, is it true that the members of Oración Seis joined legal Guilds? The truly beautiful act of forgiveness!" He sighed dramatically, before scrunching his nose. "It's _disgusting._ Disgraceful. Have you truly fallen this low?"

"You talk too much," simply replied the younger man. "Shut up. Elfman, Evergreen! You two should get out of here and head for the camp."

"B-but he's-"

"I can handle him."

After a moment of hesitation, the white-haired man nodded in agreement and quickly retrieved his partner, before running away. As soon as they disappeared from sight, Rustyrose frowned.

"You've changed, Midnight. Protecting your _friends?_ Pathetic. What would Brain say?"

"I wouldn't know," the Reflector mage narrowed his eyes. "Corpses aren't every talkative."

His opponent barked out a laugh at that. The next second, he was face to face with Macbeth, who didn't even flinch at the sudden proximity.

"I'm afraid your _happily ever after_ with the Fairies is reaching its end," grinned the grey-haired man. "It is time to return to Hell, Midnight."

The boy stared at him for a few seconds.

Then, he punched him straight in the guts.

The man stumbled back a few steps, the breath taken out of his lungs. He hadn't expected the punch. Never had the ex-member of Oración Seis actually bothered with fighting, and even less physically!

"My name is Macbeth," he simply stated.

* * *

.

.

There was a battle going strong, Kaelys could hear it. Accelerating her pace and ignoring all of the enemies that crossed her path, she finally reached the camp she had left earlier, and froze.

Lisanna was caught in some vines, some sort of countdown written upon them. She was struggling to free herself, much in vain. As for Mirajane, she was in her Demon form, battling with none other than Azuma.

"The vines will explode…" she realized, eyes widening. "Shit!"

 **'** **You don't have time~'**

"Fuck off!" She landed next to the trapped girl, startling her. "Hang on, Lisanna, I'll get you out!"

"K-Kaelys!"

But the more she pulled, and the stronger the vines tightened. The countdown showed that less than one minute was left, now, and Mirajane was clearly loosing her battle. Kaelys started panicking, not knowing what to do. If she didn't save the girl... if she couldn't protect her...

"H-he said that the only way to stop it was to defeat him," the white-haired girl said, crying. "Y-you have to take Mira-nee and get out of here-"

"Defeat him?" she repeated, taking a step back.

 **'** **You're not strong enough. Don't even try'**

"No, wait, Kaelys!" Lisanna protested, seeing the glint in the teen's eyes. "You can't beat him, please, just save my sister!"

"I know I'm too _weak_ ," she spat. "But I can still… save the two of you. Or I can at least try."

On which she took off, heading for the ongoing battle and completely ignoring her guildmate's cries. As soon as she was in reach, she forcefully separated the two, sending them crash into the ground. Landing in between, she then turned to face their enemy.

"Azuma!" she barked, easily gaining his attention. "Stop the countdown and free my friend, _now!"_

"Truth… the only way to free her is to defeat me," he retorted, dusting his shoulder. "You are strong, but not strong enough yet. Step aside-"

"I'll come with you!" She cut him off, taking a step forward. "I-I'll come! You said Hades wanted to speak to me, right? Then I'll come. No fighting, no struggle… I swear I will. My only demand is that you free my friend and leave the both of them in peace. _Alive."_

He stared at her for a moment as Mirajane, behind her, rose back on shaky legs. "No, Kaelys! Don't-"

"Shut up!" snapped the teen, clenching her fists. "I… I can't let him hurt you. When I joined Fairy Tail, I swore to become stronger so as to protect you guys. I'm still too weak to stand up against such enemies… but I can still hold half of my oath. Azuma! Do you accept this deal? Because I can assure you that if you don't… then the only way I'll meet that Master of yours is as a fucking corpse. _That_ I promise. "

The man considered her for a moment. Then, he offered a slight nod. With a wave of his hand, he retracted the vines holding Lisanna, and the countdown stopped. Relief washed over Kaelys, who then offered a small smile at the white-haired barmaid, who was watching everything happen with growing horror.

"I'm counting on you guys," she simply said.

After which, she flew to Azuma's side. Without another look behind, the two of them disappeared into the forest, thousands of vines sprouting in their trail so as to fend off any who might try and track them.

"Kae…" Mirajane fell to her knees, reverting to her human form, her Magic completely depleted. "No…"

Lisanna arrived next to her, shaking badly, and kneeled beside her. She hugged her older sister tightly, who hugged her back with just as much strength. The both of them had been so scared to loose each other again…

"We'll get her back," then assured the youngest, trembling. "You know that, right? We're Fairy Tail. We don't give up on our nakamas."

The older mage nodded firmly, wiping away her tears. "Right."

 _Don't worry, Kaelys. We'll get you back, just you wait._

 _And then, I'll kick your ass for making such a dangerous gamble._

* * *

Azuma stopped, and so did Kaelys.

"You're going to knock me out, aren't you?" she stated flatly.

"Better safe than sorry," he simply replied, then appearing behind her. She didn't react. "Do not worry, Truth. Seeing as you gave me your word, then I shall hold you to it, and you won't be chained."

"Thank you," she sighed, still kind of grateful for that. Then, she scowled. "Though I told you, my name is-"

Before she could finish, he harshly hit her behind the head. Her knees buckled, and she fell into his arms. Lifting her onto his shoulder, he then started heading for the tree ahead of him.

First, he had another mission to handle.

* * *

.

.

Erik cursed, startling the others with him.

"What an awful language," chided lowly Carla.

"Who cares? She's… Damn it, Kae! That's why we don't let you do anything on your own!" Erik rubbed his temples. "Shit… Okay, we've got to go. Think you guys can get to the camp on your own?"

"Y-yes but, Erik-san, what's going on?"

"Kaelys got captured by one of the Kin," he answered, jumping onto Kinana's back. "I'll go after her."

At that, the young girl nodded determinedly. A moment later, though, as Erik left along with his partner, she turned to the two cats, momentarily confused.

"When did Mest-san leave?"

"A while ago. Since Erik didn't do anything, I figured it wasn't all that important," shrugged Lily.

"Oh, okay."

The girl then glanced back to the sky, frowning a little.

 _I hope they'll be okay…_

* * *

As Macbeth became invisible to Rustyrose, he noticed Erik and Kinana flying above them, the Poison Dragon Slayer gesturing something. Narrowing his eyes, Erik's voice then reached him, somehow.

 _"_ _Loudmouth got caught. I can't hear her anymore. I'm heading for Hades, since he's apparently given orders to his men to get the three of us before him, alive. You try to find her from the ground."_

The boy closed his eyes for a moment. That was a dangerous situation Kaelys now found herself in, that much he knew.

"Okay," he said under his breath.

Erik, hearing him, instantly went away. After a few more seconds, Macbeth reappeared to Rustyrose, who raised an eyebrow when seeing him.

"Done playing hide and seek?" he mused.

"This fight is getting nowhere. We're the worst opponents, and fighting any longer would be too much of a drag," replied the boy, crossing his arms behind his head. "Just take me to Hades or something. You have orders, right? I'll hear what he has to say."

 _Kae, what have you gotten us into?_

* * *

 **So, Grimoire Heart just doesn't understand the concept of names, apparently. I thought it made sense for them to have met before, what with being from Guilds of the Balam Alliance. I also found it important for them to make it clear: they are no longer Truth, or Cobra, or Midnight. They are Kaelys, Erik and Macbeth of Fairy Tail. They have made a cross on their pasts, and that is why they insist so much on the names.**

 **Hope you enjoyed it! See you guys around!**


	29. The Darkness Is Rising

**Ok, shorter chapter this time around, but I hope you'll still like it!**

 **Enjoy!**

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Gajeel and Mirajane were now lying under the makeshift tent. They were both heavily injured and exhausted, but they'd live.

"I'm so glad they're okay…" Levy sighed in relief. "But for Gajeel to be taken out, and for Mira to loose… And now, they've got Kaelys too."

"It was my fault…" Lisanna clenched her fists. "Mine…"

"It's not anyone's fault."

Both girls jumped at the voice, and turned around to see Elfman coming out of the forest, Evergreen in his arms.

"Elf-niichan!"

"They're strong," he fell to his knees. "I hate to say it, but they're too damn strong… and we left him alone!"

"Who?"

"Macbeth…" Evergreen coughed a little, still hanging to consciousness somehow. "He-he said he'd handle him… but no one can…"

"There was nothing we could do," spat Elfman. "Damn it! I'm a failure of a Man! I wasn't able to protect my sister… or my partner… and I left a nakama to die…"

Evergreen weakly patted his arm in a tentative gesture of comfort.

Levy clenched her fists.

"We need to become one," she then said.

"Levy…"

"The exam had us all split up. It was just for a bit, but we were putting ourselves before our friends. But we can't do that now! The enemy… is extremely powerful, but we are Fairy Tail! If we all combine our power… If we can act as one… there's no way we'll loose! So everyone, please… join together again… please…"

A moment of silence followed her cry.

 _"_ _Well, that was sweet and all, but we'd better get moving if we want this to work."_

All Fairy Tail members startled at that.

"E-Erik!?" gasped the blue-haired girl.

 _"_ _Don't ask me how, I have no idea but it's working. Anyway, everyone heard that?"_

 _"…_ _yeah, we did."_

 _"_ _Levy-chan? Don't worry, we heard you!"_

 _"_ _We're not giving up!"_

 _"_ _You're right, we need to work together!"_

 _"_ _We should all rally to the camp."_

Levy brought an hand to her mouth, shocked, as tears started streaming down her face. Everyone… heard her?

 _"_ _I couldn't connect everyone,"_ informed Erik, his voice echoing around them. _"But I've got most of our members' locations. I'll try and direct them so that we can meet up as little groups so as to better defend ourselves until we can all get back together. Who's down for the count on our side?"_

"M-Mira-nee and Gajeel," answered Lisanna, taking a deep breath. "Evergreen and Elf-niichan too-"

"I can still fight," however assured the white-haired man.

 _"_ _Okay. For those who don't know yet, Master Makarov is out too. Wendy's taking him back along with the black cat and the white cat-"_

 _"_ _It's Panther Lily."_

 _"_ _And my name is Carla!"_

 _"_ _Whatever. So, Elfman and his sister head over east from your position, you should meet with them in about eight or nine minutes. Levy, set up whatever protections you can around the base. Traps, runes, whatever works. Make it so that only those wearing the Fairy Tail mark can pass."_

"Hai!" she nodded, instantly getting to work.

The two siblings accepted too. Elfman quickly put Evergreen to rest next to the other two despite her weak protests, before he left along with his sister in the direction indicated.

 _"_ _Okay, great. Wendy, you guys keep going."_

 _"_ _Hai!"_

* * *

 _"_ _Next what… Oh, right: Beth is alright, if you're wondering. He's going after Kaelys right now-"_

"Kaelys?" Lucy tensed, stopping in her tracks. "What happened to her?"

 _"_ _Oh, right, err… Well, Loudmouth got captured by Azuma, one of the Kin. They got orders to take Beth, her and I to their Master, and she used the opportunity to save that one we brought back from Edolas-"_

 _"_ _It's Lisanna!"_

 _"_ _Details. By the way, don't blame yourself or some shit like that, Kaelys did it because she could and nothing else."_

 _"…_ _hai. Thank you."_

 _"_ _Yeah, yeah, anyhow… Leave Kaelys to us, we'll handle it. Also, Zancrow and Caprico, two of the Kin, were beaten. Ash-for-brains is battling Ultear right now, so ice-dick? I'd suggest you head over now."_

 _"_ _What? Why should I-"_

 _"_ _Trust me, you'll know when you get there. Turn around and go straight forward, you won't miss them. After what, Sunshine can handle the one coming her way-"_

"There's one coming my way!?" screeched Lucy, already in panic.

Not only had she somehow gotten separated from Cana, but now she was going to face one of the Seven Kin alone!?

 _"_ _Sheesh, stop screaming! Yes, there's one. I don't know much about the guy, so you be wary. I'll head over for support in a few minutes anyway. Other than that… well, Beth's with Rustyrose, Azuma got Kaelys, Titania and the rain woman are handling the pink-haired shrimp… Okay, so as soon as you guys are done with your fight, head over to the camp."_

 _"_ _Do we know what exactly they are after?"_

 _"…_ _Zeref. You know, the big bad Black Wizard that lived centuries ago? Yup, still alive and kicking. They want to use his powers to bring a new age over the world, one in which the ninety percent of the population in the world that_ can't _use Magic will… well, die. Something to add?"_

 _"_ _He's dangerous,"_ instantly replied Elfman. _"Don't get too near, or you'll die."_

 _"_ _Right. Everyone took notes? 'Cause class is over. Anything else I'm missing?"_

 _"_ _Yes. What about us?"_

* * *

 _"_ _Oh, didn't hear you guys coming back."_

"We came as soon as we saw the flare," replied Freed, taking a look at the island while Bickslow attached the boat.

 _"_ _Right… head to the camp for now, and help out Levy with the protections."_

"Understood."

"Oi, Erik… IS THAT YOU!? CAN YOU HEAR ME!?" called Gildarts.

 _"_ _SHUT UP, OLD TIMER! Yes, I can hear you perfectly, no need to shout!"_

The man chuckled sheepishly, while the last two members of the Thunder God Tribe sighed, shaking their heads.

 _"_ _Oh, right, one last thing: the Magic Council is about to come after us too, so-"_

 _"_ _What? Why?"_

 _"_ _Mest was a double-agent sent to destroy Fairy Tail from the inside or some shit like that. Now that they've learned that we got Zeref on the island, well, you can imagine how that'll turn out."_

"Then we need to act fast," concluded Freed.

"Alright babies, let's go!" exclaimed Bickslow.

"Let's go, let's go!" chanted the totems.

* * *

Erik sighed, finally cutting the communication. It took more out of him than he'd like to admit, but that needed to be done. As disorganized as they were, they wouldn't have stood a chance against Grimoire Heart.

"Alright, Kina," he patted the snake's neck. "Let's go help out Sunshine before she gets herself killed."

The snake hissed softly, flying in the direction of the Celestial mage.

* * *

"Wendy!"

"L-Lisanna-san, Elfman-san!"

The man instantly lifted the Master off her back, while his sister went to support Wendy as her knees buckled. They all exchanged a relieved smile, before instantly heading back to the camp.

* * *

Lucy was _not_ having a good time.

The Kin she was facing… was fricking ridiculous, in all senses of the word. He was ridiculously annoying, ridiculously dumb, and ridiculously _strong._

Because yes, Hikaru Kain was strong. And _she_ was loosing.

Any Spirits she tried calling upon were of no help. Not that she blamed them, of course, it was simply that weirdo who was too strong.

She glanced at her Keys. What could she do?

Her eyes landed on a black Key.

 _Corvus, of course!_

Without hesitation, she grabbed his Key. "Open, Gate of the Crow! Corvus!"

Instantly, half her Magic was drained, and she stumbled back under the sudden loss of energy. Panting a little, her eyes widened in realization.

 _I never summoned Corvus before. Or at least, not for battle._

"Eh… I was starting to believe you'd forgotten about me~"

"C-Corvus!"

"Yo," the Spirit greeted with a grin. He turned his back to her, now facing Kain. "So he's the enemy, uh? Let me handle him. I must warn you, though, that I won't be able to stay for long. If I fight for too long, then you'll be completely drained."

"I-I understand. I'm counting on you!"

Nodding firmly, the black-haired Spirit then extended his hand. Shadows gathered around his closed fist and, next thing Lucy knew, he was wielding a gigantic shadow-scythe.

He darted forward, and suddenly appeared before the Kin.

 _"_ _Kagekōgeki… Suraisu no sukuizu!"_

There was a sudden burst of air. Kain raised his arms in a defensive position, but the spell simply flew to his left, without even grazing him.

Stunned silence ensued.

"Ah! You missed!" he taunted.

At that, though, Corvus smirked. "No, I didn't."

And suddenly, the skin on the Grimoire Heart mage's arms sliced open, blood instantly gushing out. He howled in pain, falling back.

"W-what kind of sorcery is this!?" he snapped.

 _"_ _Kagekōgeki…"_ The Spirit's scythe suddenly shifted, taking the form of a maul twice his size. Jumping, he then slammed it onto the man's head. _"Funsai suru!"_

Their enemy avoided the blow with ease despite the bloody state of his arms, and he was about to mock the Crow once more when a his right leg suddenly bent with the echo of a sinister 'crack'. He slumped to the ground, eyes wide with the sudden pain that overcame his whole body.

"I-I don't understand… I avoided your attacks…" he protested as the Spirit suddenly towered over him, red eyes glinting under the rays of the lowering sun. "Y-you can't have hit me..."

"And yet I did!" retorted the boy with false cheer. "Anyhow, the first hit was for you hurting Lucy. The second one was for attacking Fairy Tail. And the third one…" The maul shifted into a bow and an arrow. "Is for you to answer a simple question." He brandished his weapon, aiming the arrow straight at Kain's forehead, and his voice suddenly become clouded with killing intent. _"Where the fuck is Kaelys."_

Kain promptly passed out. Be it from the blood loss or from sheer fright, none would ever be able to say. With an heavy sigh, the Spirit let his weapon vanish, before returning to Lucy's side. The blonde was panting harshly, obviously exhausted.

"I'm so sorry!" he exclaimed, kneeling next to her as anime tears started streaming down his face. "I know you're not used to using Elder Keys for battle and I should have warned you beforehand but I never really thought about it because I've grown so used to come to Earthland on my own and so I forgot that summoning me for battle took so much out of my Masters and-"

The Celestial mage slapped her hand over his mouth. He instantly stopped talking, and she let her hand drop heavily. It felt as if her muscles were filled with lead or something…

"I'm sorry…"

"D-don't be," she shook her head, offering him a tentative smile. "I should- should be the one a-apologizing."

"Uh? What for?"

"B-because I let you fight a-alone. I don't- don't let my Spirits fight m-my battles, that's not- not how things work," she shook her head. "But I-I'm still far too weak… I swear I-I'll get stronger, a-alright? And one day, I'll- I'll be worthy t-to fight alongside of you."

He stared at her for a few seconds, before smiling softly and patting her head.

"You do that, then. I'll take my leave for now, before you loose anymore Magic. I hope you find Kaelys and the others soon." With that, he rose back to his feet. "You ought to be proud, though. Not many Celestial mages can actually open my Gate. I'm glad to be able to call you my Master!"

A faint glow started emanating from his body.

"W-wait!" she struggled to get up. "I-I want to know… h-how did you do it?"

"Uh? You mean, about my attacks?" Amusement shone in his ruby eyes. "Magic~"

And with that, he fully disappeared. Lucy gaped at the now empty spot for a moment, before a weak laugh escaped her lips. However, her laugh soon died down when an evil cackle suddenly echoed.

"No way…" she paled.

She could only watch as, slowly, Kain rose back to his feet.

"Thought you could beat me so easily!?" he snarled. "I'll show you-"

Something suddenly crashed into him, slamming him harshly into the ground. A cloud of dust blinded the blonde for a while, and she coughed, shielding her eyes.

"W-what…"

"Damn, you sure got him good, Sunshine."

"E-Erik!"

The dust falling back down, it now revealed none other than the Poison Dragon Slayer standing on top of the Grimoire Heart mage's body, along with Kinana. Relief washed over the girl, and she relaxed fully.

"Thank God it's you," she placed an hand over her heart. "I-I couldn't have fought him any longer."

"Sorry about that, we were having a hard time tracking you down, what with everything that's been happening on the island," he apologized, coming to stand next to her. "You okay?"

"J-Just tired… I'll have to t-train harder," she offered a sheepish smile.

"Yeah, you do that. For now, though…" He grabbed her arms and pulled her up, before somehow lifting her onto his back. "Piggyback ride time."

"I-I can walk!" she protested, struggling a little.

"No, you can't. Just shut up and appreciate my generosity."

"Oh, yes, thank you very much, grand Master Erik," she rolled her eyes, though no longer fighting it.

"That's more like it."

She snorted, and he smirked a little, before heading back towards Kain's body. Kinana switched back into her human form, and ran to meet them.

"Lucy, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for showing up when you did."

"Anytime!" beamed the purple-haired woman. "So, what do we do now?"

"You take Lucy back to the camp," ordered the maroon-haired man. "I'll go after Macbeth and Kaelys, and-"

"I'm coming too."

He shot a half-irritated look at the blonde. "No, you're not. Woman, you can't even stand on your own. Do you really think I'll let you _fight?"_

"You have no right to order me around," she snapped back. "And if I have to crawl in the dirt to go after Kae, then I damn well will, and _no one_ is going to stop me."

"Ugh! Fucking annoying blondes… fine! Fine, damn it!" he gave in, annoyed. "Just because I _know_ you would, and I'm not letting you out of my sight if it means that you'll get killed by your own stupidity."

She had the galls to grin at him in victory.

"Damn the Fairies…" he muttered, cursing up a storm in his head. He then sighed, and reported his attention to Kinana, who had watched everything unfold with palpable amusement. " _No_ comment."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she smiled innocently.

He rolled his eyes, but dropped the subject.

"Then, I'll be taking Sunshine with me. You take rounds around the island and lend support to our members, be it by bringing them back to the camp or assisting in fights. _Don't_ get directly involved with Grimoire Heart, though. It's too dangerous."

"Hai, hai!" she saluted, still smiling. "Be careful, you two!"

On which she transformed back into her snake form. Sprouting her wings, she then rubbed her head gently against Lucy's, before taking off. They watched as she left, before Erik started moving.

After a minute or so of silence, the blonde sighed.

"Erik… why are you so intent on refusing people's help?"

He didn't acknowledge her question, and she bit her lower lip.

"I know… I know that you have a hard time trusting people. And I can understand that it's even harder to trust Fairy Tail, considering we were enemies barely a few months ago. However, I think you fail to see that we _all_ consider you as a member of the Guild; a member of our family." He stiffened a little at that. "And… the role of a family is to support each member, no matter the circumstances. You can't deal with all of Grimoire Heart alone, and we're all on this island, willing to help. Have you even seen how much trust we put in you? You started giving instructions to everyone, and it _worked._ They all _listened_ to you. So, why are you so afraid of asking-"

"I ain't scared!" he half-snarled, his grip tightening on her legs. "I'm not… it's not a question of trust or whatever bullshit you're spouting. I know… I know that there's still a lot that Loudmouth, Beth and I have to learn. But right now, it's not about being a family or some crap like that. _This?_ This is _true_ evil, one that knows no bounds nor limits, and that cheery Guild of ours isn't _ready_ to face it. Oración Seis was hell-bent on using Nirvana to destroy the light, because we were and still are selfish bastards. Them? _They_ want to kill _ninety percent of the world's population_ just for the _hell of it._ They are ready to do _anything_ and _everything_ to reach that goal, even to sacrifice their own members. Do you truly believe Fairy Tail can fight such an enemy, when we can't give up anything because everything is holding us back? Do you truly!?"

His breathing was a little ragged, and he had stopped walking. He couldn't move anymore, and Lucy simply didn't know what to do or say. She hadn't expected the Dragon Slayer to expose his thoughts, and even less for those to be so… so…

"Of course we can."

Both of them jumped at the voice, and snapped their eyes at the newcomer. From the bushes stepped out none other than Natsu. For once, though, he seemed serious.

"N-Natsu!"

"Fairy Tail _can_ win this fight," he assured. "Not because everything is holding us back… but because we have everything to loose. If we don't fight, then what's going to happen to what we love, what we cherish? What's going to happen to our friends still in Magnolia, to all of those scattered on this island as we speak? It's not even about fighting… It's about _winning._ If we don't win… then what will we have left?"

He walked until he came face to face with Erik, and looked at him dead in the eyes.

"We are strong because we fight together. We are strong because we share everything: our laughs, our tears, our joy, our pain… We are strong, because we just can't give up on those we love. We are strong… and that's why we're going to win. We're going to kick Grimoire Heart's ass, finish the S-Class exam and come back home with a smile and a new adventure to tell to our friends. If we want to do that, though… we have to work as one."

He hit his fist over his chest. " _I_ am Natsu. _You_ are Erik. _She_ is Lucy. _He_ is Happy. _They_ are our friends. And together? Together, we're Fairy Tail." He then extended his fist to his fellow Dragon Slayer, his face breaking into a feral grin. "What do you say to that?"

The man stared at him for a moment, eyes wide.

Then, he scoffed.

"That you're fucking cheesy. I didn't need a pep talk."

The pink-haired boy laughed at that, dropping his fist. "Great to have you back! So, now, what do we do? I say we go find that Hades guy and make him eat the dust!"

"Wait, Natsu… Weren't you fighting one of the Kin?" then wondered Lucy.

"She got away," he grunted, obviously annoyed. "Freakishly strong, she was."

"Aye!" suddenly exclaimed Happy, appearing out of nowhere. "Natsu couldn't even land a hit!"

"Don't tell them that!"

"Ice-dick is following her," informed Erik, eyes closed as he focused on the dozens of thoughts echoing from all around. "She… has Zeref with her. Let's just leave them to deal with this. For now, though… let's… let's meet up with everyone. At the camp."

"W-what about Lys?" frowned Happy.

"I hope she's okay…" Lucy looked down, worried.

"She'll be fine. I have no idea what he wants with her, or with Beth and I, but he won't do anything until all three of us are there," the Sound mage assured. "Plus, if worse comes to worse, then she can hold her own for a while. For now, ash-for-brains is right: we need to work together."

"Right-" Mest suddenly appeared before them.

The three instantly stopped talking, startled by his appearance.

He blinked when seeing them, before smiling.

"Hey-"

"Mest of the Magic Council…" Lucy clicked her tongue, narrowing her eyes. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"My name is actually Doranbolt… And don't worry, I've come to rescue you!"

Lucy, Erik and Natsu exchanged a very unimpressed look.

"With my Magic, I can transport everyone from Fairy Tail off the island!" he pressed on. "So if you have a way to locate everyone-"

"Thanks, but we'll pass," announced flatly Natsu.

"W-what?"

"We don't need the help of the Magic Council," grunted Erik. "Get lost."

"This is a problem of our Guild, and we'll deal with this ourselves," added Lucy.

"That's not it!" he however protested. "If Headquarters finds out what's going on, there's a good chance they'll fire on the island!"

"They're gonna shoot Etherion again!?" panicked Happy.

"Don't you guys ever learn?" whined the blonde.

"Etherion?" echoed Erik, glancing at the Celestial mage on his back.

She quickly showed him a resume of what had happened to the Tower of Heaven. He distinctively flinched at the memory of this cursed place, but grasped the general idea. "You guys are so fucking lucky it's not even funny," he then deadpanned. "That Guild is fricking _insane."_

She rolled her eyes.

"If they fire it again, then who knows what'll happen?" then worried Happy.

"We'll just have to deal with things first," shrugged Natsu.

"Makarov's down!" exclaimed Mest… or rather, Doranbolt. He was growing annoyed with these stubborn mages. "And Grimoire Heart still has some fearsome people left! There's no way you can win!"

"Oi, oi…" the pink-haired boy scrunched his nose. "Is that why you're gonna blow up the entire island?"

"This is our Guild's sacred ground," Lucy pursued. Her fists clenched a little. "And- and two of our members are currently held hostage by Grimoire Heart. We won't back down, you hear me? And if you try anyway… then there'll be hell to pay!"

"What Sunshine said," nodded the Poison Dragon Slayer, before shooting her a mild glare. "Though I swear to God, woman, if you won't stop wriggling around, I'm dropping you."

She instantly stopped gesticulating, offering him a sheepish smile.

"I-I don't believe it," then gasped Doranbolt, kind of horrified. "Trying to threaten us? The Magic Council!? You're just some wizard Guild!"

"Now listen carefully, you!" growled the Fire mage. "I don't give a crap whether it's Grimoire Heart or the Magic Council." He stepped closer, until their foreheads almost hit, and some killing intent started pressuring the whole area. " _Anyone_ who lays a hand on our Guild is the enemy. I'll destroy them all!"

Heavy silence followed the clear declaration of war.

Above them, dark clouds started gathering.

* * *

.

.

"The tears put out of mind my own desires… the evil-eye wriggles impatiently in the darkness."

The rain was falling down, rather harshly at that.

"Is that from some song, Rusty?"

"Uh? No. Just the scream of a shattered heart," the man replied, pushing up his glasses. "Azuma, you're quite beat up. For you, that is."

"Proof that I fought someone strong," retorted his companion.

The Imagination mage wondered, glancing to the unconscious body of the teen lying next to Azuma. "Someone strong? Might you be talking about Truth? For other than her, Cobra and Midnight, there is no one worthy enough to be called strong in this Guild."

"You mustn't underestimate Fairy Tail," warned Azuma. "Their weapon is not their Magic power, but the ability to turn their conviction into a blade…"

"Conviction into a blade?" echoed Rustyrose. "Seems very much like our Meredy… But anyway, I thought we were ordered to bring them to Master Hades once we caught them."

He nudged the teen's body with his foot, but she didn't react.

"I have my own mission to accomplish," simply answered Azuma. "I was awaiting one of our member's arrival to bring her. Will you take her there?"

"Well, I've already brought one, so another…" With a shrug, Rustyrose picked her up. "Very well, but do not presume again I will do your dirty work for you."

"Of course not. I am grateful. Though, remember the rules-"

"No chaining her, I know, know. After all…" He started walking away. "A broken soul can only take so much of the chains before it's bloodied wings breaks through the cage."

* * *

.

.

Macbeth opened his eyes.

He blinked once. Twice.

"When was I knocked out?" he wondered quietly.

"Ah, finally awake, Midnight. About time, too."

Tensing, the boy tilted his head to see none other than Hades, sitting a few chairs away from him. Now that he looked closer, he realized that he was seated at a table, food and water just before him.

"Wait, until your friends join us," simply proposed the man. "I expect the two of them to arrive soon enough. For now, though, relax. You are a… precious guest, after all."

 _Wait, Kaelys isn't there? So that means I let myself get caught… for naught._

 _…_

 _I'm blaming Erik for this crap._

* * *

 **Alright, so who can guess what exactly is Corvus's power? I'm curious. Also, I've decided to exploit Erik's Magic a little more. It's SOUND MAGIC for God's sake, so I don't understand why he wouldn't be able to use it for more than his two attacks in canon. Anyway, I hope not much happened in this chapter, but I really hope you liked it anyway. Share your thoughts with me?**

 **Love you guys!**


	30. Down Go The Seven Kin

**Hey guys! I won't linger for long, I'll keep my rant for the end of the chapter lol.**

 **Enjoy!**

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"Zancrow. Kain. Meredy. Caprico. The four of them have fallen. It is much more than what I was expecting."

Macbeth didn't acknowledge Hades's statement, eyes closed as he devised yet another plan in his head. Was he supposed to try and flee? Wait for the others? Fight Hades on his own? This whole situation was such a drag…

"Bluenote."

Silence answered, and the Master sighed heavily.

"And he was the only one I truly didn't want to use… Well, this is game over, I guess."

Macbeth kept his eyes closed. _Erik, when the hell are you going to show up?_

* * *

.

.

"Someone's there."

At Erik's warning, the little group stopped running.

They had been heading for the camp for a few minutes now, leaving Doranbolt so that he could try and win some time for the Guild, but there had been no sign of one of their friends or enemies after that… until now.

"Who… Erik? Erik, what's happening? Are you alright?"

Lucy frowned as the wizard carrying her started shaking. He was staring up ahead, eyes wide and unfocused.

Terrified.

"T-that Magic p-power…" gasped the Poison Dragon Slayer. "H-he's…"

 _Too strong._ _Danger danger danger-_

And then, they felt it too. The pressure. The threat. Coming their way was a man, upon which it was raining so hard they couldn't make out his face. He was approaching, and they couldn't move an inch, frozen in place despite their instincts that _screeched_ for them to flee.

"My skin is all tingly…" mumbled Happy.

"Who the hell are you!?" snapped Natsu.

"… can you fly? … no, not yet."

Before any of them could fully understand what had just been said, the mysterious man lifted his arms, and time suddenly seemed to stop. It stopped raining, the numerous drops of waters now floating around them-

"Fall."

The Fairies were slammed into the ground, which started shaking as the magical pressure suddenly became too much. Erik dropped Lucy while Happy went flying against a tree and Natsu was pinned into place, the four of them unable to fight the Gravity Magic.

"Listen here…" muttered their foe. "I don't really care about Fairy Tail, or Zeref… but there is one thing here that I want. Where is the grave of Fairy Tail's founding Master, Mavis Vermillion?"

"L-like hell we'd tell you!" grunted Natsu, however unable to stand.

The pressure augmented.

"W-we don't k-know either!" then exclaimed Lucy, crying out when her bones cracked a little.

The pressure stopped.

Gasping for air, the four Fairy Tail wizards took a few seconds to regain their senses as the Grimoire Heart mage stared down on them, unperturbed.

"I-I know!" then exclaimed Happy. He raised an accusing finger at the man. "You want to become an S-Class wizard too! But we're not letting you into Fairy Tail!"

"Shut up, you damned cat," groaned Erik, using his shaking arms to push himself up.

The both of them were suddenly crushed again, the rock breaking under the sudden weight.

"Cats and scum should keep their damn mouths shut," informed flatly their enemy. "Was I asking you? I don't give a crap about some exam or S-Class… Stop treating me like an idiot."

"You're the one that's treating us like idiots!" protested fervently Lucy, fists clenched tightly. "That grave is sacred to us. Even if we did know where it was, we'd never tell you!"

He stared at her with indifference. Then, a Magic circle appeared above her, and she was punished with the same fate as Happy and Erik. She cried out in pain, unable to do anything else as the rock dug into her skin.

"Lucy!" Natsu gritted his teeth. He glared at the black mage. "You damn-"

"The sparkle of fairies… Fairy Glitter!" suddenly exclaimed the man. "It is said to be on par with Fairy Law. One of your Guild's Three Grand Spells, right?

"What? I got no idea what you're talking about," replied the pink-haired boy, somewhat confused.

He too was crushed.

"That sparkle is a merciless light that cannot stand the presence of enemies," however answered the Gravity mage.

"We don't know-" Happy was silenced once again.

"I want that Magic," pursued their opponent. "You will tell me where to find it. _Now."_

"I am… the son of Igneel…" growled Natsu, struggling to rise. "I will not… be grounded… so easily!" Somehow, he managed to bypass the pressure and stand. Then, he started running.

"You got to be shitting me…" mumbled Erik, wanting to hit his head against something hard. "Fucking powerhouse… able to run despite the gravity… god damn ridiculous…"

"It seems that spell is sealed at Mavis's grave. Tell me where it is," asked again the man, not really caring about the oncoming attack.

Natsu jumped, fist flaming.

This time, Erik hit his head against the ground for real. "Fucking ridiculous… fucking ridiculous…"

"He… really doesn't like to loose," sweatdropped Lucy.

"Iron Fist of the- _oof!"_ the Dragon Slayer collided with a gravity wall, and was sent crashing back next to his friends.

"You will tell me what I want to know." His words echoed darkly in the air. "Or die keeping the silence."

* * *

.

.

"My, my… What a wonderful coincidence. It must be fate that I stumble upon a meal when I just start to get hungry…"

Everyone stiffened. Levy, Lisanna and Panther Lily jumped on their feet, while Wendy simply focused on her patients, Carla keeping watch for her. Master Makarov, Gajeel, Elfman, Evergreen and Mirajane wouldn't be able to fight for a while longer, and she wished to provide as much support as she could.

Even if an enemy had just showed up at their door.

"W-wait!" Lisanna's eyes suddenly widened. She only now noticed the dark form slumped over the intruder's shoulder. "I-is that…"

"Kaelys!" gasped Panther Lily, switching into his combat form. He brandished his sword at the man. "Release her now!"

"Ooh?" The bespectacled mage smirked a little, glancing at the unconscious teen he was holding. "A 'friend' of yours? I would suggest cutting the bonds yourselves before _she_ does it. It would surely spare you some pain."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Levy clenched her fists.

"I am one of the Seven Kin of Purgatory, Rustyrose!" he presented himself with a gracious, somewhat mocking bow. "I'll devour every last Fairy. And surely, you have heard of us by now? After all, many of our comrades have fallen… Our ranks will soon be filled with new blood, though."

"You intend to have Kaelys join you," understood the Exceed, gritting his teeth.

"She won't do that!" exclaimed angrily the white-haired girl. "She's a member of Fairy Tail, she'll never turn her back on us!"

"From what I've heard, though, she already has," shrugged the man. He then carelessly tossed the girl on the ground next to him. She hit the grass without as much as a flinch. "Such a good _friend_ , following the enemy without even fighting back…"

"She did it to save me and Mira-nee! She… she…" Understanding dawned on the little group.

 _We're… hostages. That's why they haven't killed us yet._

They were planning on using them against Kaelys, Erik and Macbeth, to force them to join.

Lisanna felt _sick._

Bars of black metal rose from the ground. They twisted and linked themselves together, forming a solid cage around the unconscious girl.

Trapping her.

"What are you doing!? Let her go!" snapped the blue-haired bookworm, bile rising in her throat as she fought back frustrated tears.

"It's not like we need _all_ of you," remarked offhandedly Rustyrose, pushing up his glasses. "A few less surely won't be noticed… though I can't have her interfering right now. Surely you understand?"

The Solid Script mage was _so_ angry… Tensed, she turned to the other two.

"We have to protect the others for now," she remarked softly. "We're their sole defense. Wendy, keep on healing them."

"H-hai!"

"Two women, two cats, a little girl and the wounded?" taunted the silver-haired wizard. "How sad, truly. My heart weeps for your pathetic demise. Honestly, this won't be a very dramatic event. But well! Even if it is the injured, I will not hold back. I will crush you all!"

"The strongest Dark Guild my butt!" snapped Levy. "You're just picking on the defenseless! Don't you feel any shame?"

"We will sacrifice as many people as it takes to create our ideal world. And besides, no weaklings are meant to survive there."

"You won't create an ideal world that way!"

"Yes, we learnt that first-hand in Edolas!"

"Then…" he smirked. "Use your powers and try to stop me! You should try to shake my fragment much, much more! Scream… cry… those voices will be your requiem!"

He propelled himself at them, his hand shifting into lethal claws. As soon as he stepped foot into the limits of the base camp, he collided with a wall of purple runes.

"A rune barrier?" he grunted. He started hitting the wall. "How sad of a trap, really. You think it'll me hold for long?"

"Maybe not for long…" agreed Levy, eyes as hard as steel. "But long enough!"

And as the Imagination mage managed to crack open the barrier, he was kicked in the side and sent flying into the mud, a few meters away.

"W-who are you!?" His eyes widened as he took a defensive stance.

From the shadows then stepped out none other than two other Fairy Tail mages.

"Freed, Bickslow!" Levy sighed in relief.

"We almost waited," half-joked Lisanna, relaxing a little.

"Apologies. We were finishing up with the defense perimeter around the camp," answered the green-haired man.

"Ah!" Rustyrose shifted his hand into claws again. "My Ark of Embodiment isn't going to have trouble with a few more weaklings! I'll-"

"Never said we were gonna fight fair and square, did we?" spat Bickslow. "The two of us will wipe you out completely! And- wait, is that Kaelys?"

"She was captured earlier by Azuma," answered Lisanna, biting her lower lip. "He won't let her go."

"Then we will force him to do so," replied Freed, voice as cold and sharp as ice shards. "By hurting Ever and our comrades, you have sinned. Rules do not apply to you. Bickslow!"

 _"_ _Baryon Formation!"_

As the battle started, Panther Lily tried to make a move towards the cage. As soon as he tried to approach, though, he was repelled by aggressive vines.

"No cheating!" mocked Rustyrose, repelling another of Bickslow's attack. "And now… Sacred Guardian Beast, _Gale Belfast!"_

In the blink of an eye, a gigantic monster appeared before them.

"W-what… is that!?"

"Summoning Magic… Wait, I can sense a different kind of Magic!" exclaimed Levy, wary.

"Freed, Bickslow, be careful!" pleaded Lisanna.

"No need to remind us!" retorted Bickslow. "Take care of Kaelys!" _God knows it won't be pretty if she wakes up now._

Because Rustyrose had made the worst mistake he could ever have made: he put the sleeping beast in a cage.

Hell was in motion.

* * *

.

.

"Oi, is it you!?"

The group stiffened at the new voice.

"C-Cana!" Lucy wanted to cry in relief. "You're safe!"

"You ain't gonna hurt my friends anymore!" exclaimed the brunette, jumping from the cliff. She threw a few cards at the man, who easily deflected them, but didn't stop there. "Fairy…"

"No fucking way," gaped Erik.

Before Cana could reach her target, though, she was crushed. However, their enemy didn't really bother with actually incapacitating her, too bothered by what had just been revealed.

"That Magic you have…"

"Don't tell me… Fairy Glitter?" recognized the blonde.

"Lucy…" Cana called, rising back on her feet. "I'm sorry I left you behind. I don't have any excuse for it. I'm really sorry. Just… believe me now. If I can hit him with this Magic, then I can beat him!" she claimed, determined.

"Wow…" the Celestial mage beamed at her. "Did you get it at the Grave?"

"W-what… she was at the grave…?" Natsu slumped in defeat. "Don't tell me the exam…"

Erik whacked him behind the head. "Not the time, ash-for-brains."

"Let's put that aside for now," said the Card mage. "Help me beat this guy, Natsu, Erik, Lucy. Keep his attention while I gather the magic power…"

The Grimoire Heart wizard lifted his hands, palms facing the Fairies, and sent them flying away without an ounce of effort. They all managed to land safely, somewhat, but it was obvious by now: beating this guy would be a pain in the ass.

* * *

.

.

"…"

"…"

"… you know, I don't think they're coming."

"… I thought as much. You _know_ you can start eating, right?"

"… I guess I _am_ kind of hungry. Don't mind if I do, then."

Macbeth started eating, and Hades fell back in silence.

* * *

.

.

This was wrong.

This was just so fucking _wrong._

Fairy Glitter had failed them. Bluenote was still standing, not even wounded. Cana was now on her knees, at the mercy of their enemy.

"Move, damn it!" Erik might not be particularly found of the drunkard, but it didn't mean he wanted to see her die. "What the hell are you doing, sitting on your arse like that? Are you really giving up so easily!?"

"It… didn't work…" she mumbled, defeated. She sunk even lower. "He's… too strong…"

Fairy Glitter had failed. Their enemy was about to kill her to steal the Magic, and none of them could even twitch a finger to try and help her.

Their opponent's hand fell on her head.

"CANA!"

There was a sudden blast and, with no apparent reason, the Gravity mage was sent flying backwards. All of the Fairy Tail members stared in awe as none other than Gildarts appeared, standing between Cana and her certain death.

"G-Gildarts!" Natsu gasped, relieved.

"Thank God…" Lucy placed an hand over her heart.

"Ugh… best timing _ever_ …" Erik groaned, a little dizzy because of the gravity that kept shifting. "Took your damn time, old timer!"

"Sorry, sorry," chuckled the S-Class wizard. "Got a little lost one the way…"

"A _little!?_ You should have gotten here _twelve minutes ago!"_

"Sorry, sorry…"

"Y-you knew he was coming?" Lucy blinked, switching her gaze between the two.

"Told him about the situation," admitted the Poison Dragon Slayer, rubbing the back of his head as she sat up. He half-glared at the man. _"Twelve minutes ago."_

Gildarts simply shrugged in a 'what-do-you-want?' gesture. Then, he became serious once again as he turned around to face a dumbstruck black mage.

"You kids should get out of here," he simply said, cracking his knuckles. "Or you'll be caught in between."

Lucy shot a worried look at Cana, whose eyes were now shadowed by her bangs. Then, the brunette got back to her feet, and quickly joined them.

"Let's go. We would just get in Gildarts' way here."

"R-right…"

Lucy helped Erik up. Now that she had regained some of her energy, he wouldn't have to carry her, and they would be able to move faster.

"So strong!" Natsu started gushing. "I wanna watch the fight!"

"We're leaving, Natsu!" Lucy protested, pulling him.

The pink-haired boy whined a little, but followed anyway.

"Don't die, old timer!" Erik waved, already far ahead.

"Shut up, brat!"

Cana kept silent, and Lucy held her hand tightly in comfort.

* * *

.

.

Things had taken a turn for the worst, really. As they were beating up Rustyrose, all of the Fairy Tail wizards were suddenly drained from their Magic. The island was shaking violently, the rain was going down hard, and they had pretty much became powerless while facing an extremely dangerous opponent.

Not a good day, really.

"Changing Stream! The flow has reversed! I will have the last laugh!" exclaimed the Grimoire Heart mage.

"What's happening to us?" panted Freed.

"I can't bring out any of my power…" muttered angrily Bickslow.

A groan suddenly echoed in the base. Or rather, a growl.

"What… the… **_hell."_**

"Shit, bad timing," cursed Bickslow, shooting a look at the cage.

The bars were shaking violently and, through those and the vines, he could make out _two_ yellow orbs glinting with animalistic rage. He narrowed his eyes. Even without his Magic, he could still easily guess that it wasn't Kaelys who was in control any longer.

"What's going on?" wondered Rustyrose, somewhat annoyed that his dramatic effect had been nullified. "Why…"

The cage burst open, a violent wind picking up. Rocks started imploding and flying around as the trees rustled, as if about to be ripped out of the earth. A dark, malicious aura started seeping in the air as, from waves of shadows, came out the sole and only Kaelys.

Only, it wasn't her.

 **"** **That's fucking rich!"** She was speaking, but her voice was like an empty echo. **"Here I thought I'd have to wait** ** _years_** **before the brat cracked and gave in, yet here I am!"**

"The Demon's out," paled Levy, frozen in place.

 **"** **Not** ** _exactly,_** **but close enough,"** Kaelys shrugged. Or rather, Shirokage. He then started looking down at Kaelys's hands. **"Man, I knew she was fucked up, but still…"**

"The runes sealing you are still present," Freed protested, wary. "I would have known if they had been breached!"

 **"** **Annoying fly,"** grunted the possessed girl. **"Trying to interfere… Yes, yes, the runes are still there –unfortunately-. However, seeing as the precious source of your Magic is currently… well, unavailable, it kind of gave me an escape route…"** The right eye suddenly lost its golden shine and turned darker. "Don't… take control like that… **fuck off, brat-** no, you fuck off! Urgh…"

She fell to her knees, head held tight between her hands.

"Whatever's happening… deal with it now- **or don't, I'll take full control soon enough-** no, you won't! Stop trying! **As if I'd do that! I can finally have the body you promised me-** I swore I wouldn't let you out until I died, and I'm still alive so shut up and deal with it!"

"Kae…" Lisanna's eyes were wide. "Are you-"

"I-I'm holding him in **for now, brat** but I'm not strong enough **you never were** to keep him still for much longer **just let me take control and let's have some fun~** shut up damn it!" The black-haired girl gasped, brows creased in a pained expression.

"Fight it for as long as you ccan," ordered Freed, unable to do anything. "You-"

"You contracted with a Demon of Zeref, Truth?" Rustyrose smirked. "My fragment beats in anticipation. You have impressed me! Say, Demon, how about joining Grimoire Heart?"

 **"** **It would be more fun-** no fucking way!" Blood was starting to drip down her nose. "I'm not… not leaving Fairy Tail… not now… nor ever!"

Out of nowhere, there was a blinding burst of light. As quickly as it had vanished, their Magic and energy came back at once. It felt like coming back to life.

 **"** **No… no, no, no, no, no…"** Shirokage cursed over and over, writhing on the the ground in agony. **"Stop it! I am in control, I am- ugh…"** The girl's back arched violently. **"I am…** a goddamn _asshole,_ " she spat, wheezing. Despite her trembling limbs, the girl slowly forced herself back on her feet. "I am Kaelys… of Fairy Tail… this is _my_ body… these are _my_ friends… and _you_ are fucking _annoying!_ **Just you wait, I'll come back!** I said _FUCK OFF!"_

The wind died down in a harsh blast, making most loose their balance. Panting and coughing out some blood, Kaelys slammed her fist into the ground. After a few tensed seconds of silence, she finally lifted her head.

Her right eye was purple again.

"I am _done_ with all of this shit," she growled lowly. "Freed, Bickslow! Leave him to me."

They exchanged a look, before nodding in agreement and moving out of the way. The teen straightened her spine, cracking her knuckles before dusting the dirt of her clothes. Forcing herself to move like this calmed her down. Once she was certain she wouldn't loose it, she fully faced Rustyrose, who was watching her approach with barely restrained anticipation.

"My fragment is shaking..." He whispered, almost in awe. "How truly befitting of a battle! Two of the strongest wizards, battling to show their supremacy-"

"Supremacy?" she scoffed. "Couldn't care less about that. Just stop getting in our way already!"

She pounced. He instantly created a shield as big as him, laughing when she violently crashed into it. However, his laugh soon died down when realizing his precious creation was starting to tear itself apart. Her fist suddenly passed through, forcing him to drop it and move away. She however managed to hit him in the stomach, though it didn't inflict much damage.

"Wow, Truth. I am disapointed," he taunted, an hand on his hip. He watched as she slowly straightened up to look at up, her face blank. "You missed!"

"Did I?"

Pain flared where she had hit him as one of his ribs suddenly cracked in two. He wheezed in pain, and she instantly used his innatention against him. Flying at him once again, she punched him right in the face. Before he could collapse, though, she grabbed him by the shoulders, and practically snarled into his face.

"Get lost!" On which she lifted him from the ground and, without anymore ceremonies, threw him away. "And don't you fucking come back!"

Literally.

Thanks to her telekinesis, he flew above the trees, colliding with many branches on the way, and then disapeared in the clouds. As soon as he was no longer in sight, an exhausted sigh escaped the teen's lips, and she fell back to her knees.

"Damn... So tired..." She groaned. Fighting against the Demon had taken a lot more out of her than she thought. She then noticed the sudden silence, and reported her attention to her friends, who we staring at her with wide, disbelieving eyes. "... you guys okay?"

They nodded mutely, unsure of what to say. A small, tired smile danced on her lips for half-a-second. "Okay, cool," she swayed a little. "Then I'll see you… Whenever I wake up, I guess."

On which she faceplanted into the dirt once again.

"Kaelys!"

Snapped out of their daze, Lisanna and Levy rushed to her side. Freed and Bickslow blinked a few more times, stills stunned.

"... did she just throw him off the island?"

Freed simply pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache forming.

* * *

.

.

Erik sighed in relief.

"Everything okay?" wondered Lucy.

"Yeah. Loudmouth is back, managed to escape somehow," he answered. "We're close to the camp. Now, about that drain of Magic… The gigantic tree has fallen. I think that's why our Magic dried up for a while."

"What!?"

"Let's just hurry, I'll explain everything once we're back to the base camp."

* * *

.

.

"It's called the Tenrou Tree. It is supposed to give divine protection. I dunno the details, but anyone who's got a Fairy Tail mark can't die or something like that."

"Which would be why all those who were injured actually survived," understood Levy.

"But if it fell, then why did our magic power return?" wondered Lisanna. "The tree is still toppled…"

"We can't relax just yet," replied Freed with a slight nod. "We must stay on our guard while our magic power recovers."

Bickslow looked at the sky, internally wondering if Rustyrose would ever fall back on the island or if he had already crashed somewhere else.

"How's Kaelys?" he asked, internally torn about whether to be impressed or terrified of the girl's power. "Still alive too?"

"She's… actually sleeping," informed Wendy with a small smile. "She must have been really exhausted…"

"And the runes over her eye are still in place," added Freed, having checked them as soon as the fight was done. "I believe the Demon managed to take over merely because… Well, to put it simply, the eye is Kaelys's only access to the Demon's magical core. It also works the other way around. Seeing as my runes block it, the Demon can't take over. However, Kaelys's natural magical core emptied itself at the same time as ours, which allowed the Demon to use it as an escape path."

"So, as long as her core isn't emptied, then she'll be able to keep control?" understood Lisanna, thoughtful.

"Aa. That is the theory, at least," confirmed the Rune mage. "Now, shall we set up some guard duty?"

"The traps are still in place, right?" pointed out Levy. "Then we'll know if-"

There was a flash of light, followed by a yelp, making them tense.

After a few seconds…

"OI! FREED, YOU BASTARD! WHY'D YOU TRAP ME!?"

They all relaxed at the familiar voice. As the green-haired mage quickly went to free their comrades, the rest simply chuckled in amusement.

It was good to know their friends made it back alright.

* * *

Lucy let her fingers trail through the sleeping teen's hair. She was so _glad_ … Everything had been explained and, upon hearing that the Demon had tried to take over, she had feared the worst. In fact, every since she heard about Kaelys being taken by one of Grimoire Heart, her guts had been churning in worry.

But Kaelys was alright. She was safe, she was even uninjured, and she was going to wake up in a bit.

"This is unforgivable… completely unforgivable…" Natsu slammed his fists together.

"Many of us are unable to fight," remarked Freed thoughtfully. "And you said Macbeth was too taken?"

"Yeah…" Erik cringed a little at that. _Maybe_ he acted a little rashly when ordering the guy to go after Kaelys. Just a little. "Anyhow, I think he's with Hades right now. From what I've gathered, he pretty much believes we'll want to join Grimoire Heart or something like that."

"Figures a Dark Guild would recruit you guys," snorted Bickslow.

"We're just awesome like that," Erik rolled his eyes.

The Seith mage laughed at that, but seriousness soon fell back over the camp.

"Their ship is anchored in the east shored," informed Panther Lily. "Considering we need to defend this camp, how about splitting into two teams?"

"One attack team, and one defense team?" understood Levy.

"Right. But first, Erik?" Lucy glanced at the man, who nodded.

"I hear ya. So… we've got Loudmouth, the demon barmaid, steel-dick, the manly guy, Medusa second, the drunkard and the old geezer injured," he listed. "They…"

He trailed off, noticing the others' deadpan stares.

The blonde sighed. "With actual names, please."

"Tsk… Kaelys, Strauss one, Redfox, Strauss two, Evergreen, Alberona and Makarov are injured. Gildarts is still fighting that Gravity mage. Fullbuster…" He focused for a moment. "Is currently battling Ultear. Cubellios is with him. The pink-haired shrimp, Meredy I think, is on the run with Zeref. Lockser is injured too. Scarlet seems to have defeated Azuma, who's apparently dead. I'd say that's why we got back our Magic, by the way. I'd guess Beth is currently with Hades. As for our enemy… Zancrow, Caprico, Azuma, Kain and Rustyrose were all beaten. All that are left are Ultear, Meredy, Bluenote and Hades himself."

"Ultear, uh?" repeated Levy. "Her Magic… It doesn't work on humans, but I heard it's a Lost Magic that can manipulate time at will."

"If Gray is fighting her, then his Ice Make Magic…"

"Aye, that's gonna be a tough match-up," nodded Happy.

"Erik, why did you send him to fight her?" wondered Lucy.

"Common past, he'll tell you if he wanna," the man shrugged.

Natsu started ranting about cross-dressing geezers, but everyone easily tuned him out to focus on the matters at hand.

"Attack and defend… two teams…" Bickslow mused, bringing back all's attention. "We should decide now."

"Erik-san, what do you propose?" asked Lisanna.

"… why are you asking me, anyway?" The man raised an eyebrow. "Isn't the Master usually the one giving orders? Who's the one supposed to do it in his absence?"

"An S-Class mage," answered Freed. "Though, as you can see, we are short-handed on that side at the moment. And, even though it was as a criminal, one can hardly ignore your ex-status as an S-class wizard."

"Okay, okay, I get it," the Poison Dragon Slayer scowled a little. "Anyhow… Natsu. Lucy. And me. The blue cat-"

"Happy!"

"Whatever, he can come too, I guess. Since Macbeth will be there, it'll make four of us to fight Hades, which ought to be enough. Titania should join us soon enough, and ice-dick too, knowing him. We'll-"

"I want to come too."

All jumped at the voice, gazes snapping at Kaelys. Lucy eeped, startled, when her eyes met Kaelys's. The teen smiled up at her.

"Yo."

"K-Kae! Oh, God!" The blonde hugged her tightly. "I'm so glad you're okay… You _need_ to stop scaring me like that."

"I'll try. Is… everyone okay?" the girl glanced at the other occupants of the tent, all unconscious.

"Injured, but they'll live," assured Levy, kneeling next to her. "Feeling better?"

"Yeah. A little tired, but Shiro shouldn't bother me for a while." She _had_ knocked the Demon back in the deepest corners of her twisted mind. "I heard what you guys said about fighting Hades, and I'm coming."

"Y-you can't!" protested Lucy. "It's too dangerous. What if you have another attack during the battle? What if the Demon tries something again? What if-"

"Lucy-nee. I love you, I really do, but not even you can stop me from protecting my family," warned seriously the teen.

They stared at each other for a few seconds, before the Celestial mage sighed in defeat.

"Alright. Just… don't be reckless, okay?"

"Depends. What would you define as reckless?"

Lucy lightly hit her over the head as the girl snickered. She then rose up as Wendy rushed to her side, checking for any sign of injury.

"You're good to go, Kaelys-san," beamed the small girl. "Just be careful, alright?"

"Roger that," the teen saluted her, making her laugh a little. She then mumbled a little under her breath. "Wonder why they all ask that, though… it's not like I'm _actively_ seeking to die or anything…"

This time, it was Erik who hit her. She glared at him, and he crossed his arms over his chest, unimpressed.

"Took your damn time, Loudmouth."

"What can I say? I needed my beauty sleep," she deadpanned.

He snorted at that, before grabbing her by the shoulders and spinning her around so that she could face a half-amused, half-ashamed Lisanna. Blinking in confusion, the girl glanced back to Erik, who rolled his eyes.

"She's blaming herself. Tell her not to."

Her mouth formed an 'o' of understanding, and she faced the white-haired girl once again, smiling.

"I chose to protect you guys. You're not responsible for my actions. So, don't go feeling guilty, okay?"

"… okay," Lisanna offered an hesitant smile in return. "I-I'll try. Though, I gotta say… Mira-nee is going to be really mad when she finds you."

Kaelys's smile twitched as she paled a little.

An angry Mirajane was _not_ a fun experience.

"Guess I deserve that one," she then resigned herself.

Above them, thunder suddenly roared. Kaelys instantly flinched, and she quickly returned to Lucy's side to hug the blonde, seeking comfort. After all, thunder usually came with lightning, and she wasn't in the mood for another crisis right now. The rain started falling soon after, hard, and the first flash of light crackled loudly. Kaelys instantly slapped her hands over her ears and closed her eyes, taking deep breaths.

Pantherlily, much to everyone's surprise, followed her example.

"I understand for Lys…" mused Happy, scratching the back of his head. "But what's the matter, Lily?"

"Are you scared of thunder?" added Carla, teasing him a little.

The Exceed flinched.

"He totally is," informed casually the Poison Dragon Slayer.

"Aw, looks like he's got some cute points," remarked the blue cat.

"Shut up!" protested the poor swordsman.

Hearing the conversation despite her position, Kaelys allowed a small laugh to escape her. She needed to evacuate the tension, focus on something else. And… knowing someone else was scared kind of put her more at ease. It was kind of mean to think like that, but whatever worked.

"Now, then…" Natsu suddenly jumped on his feet. "Let's go beat Hades! Lucy, Happy, Erik, Kaelys!"

"Aye sir!" cheered Happy.

"R-right," nodded the blonde, a little less eager.

"Don't order me around," grunted the maroon-haired man.

The purple-eyed girl gulped slightly, but nodded firmly. "Let's go."

"I-I'll go with you!" then said Wendy, fists clenched. "Please! I think I can support you, and I'll be able to heal your injuries too!"

"It _would_ help to have you around…" Erik nodded thoughtfully. "Okay, but don't rush ahead and get yourself stupidly hurt. That's Kaelys's style."

"Hey!"

"I-I'll go as well!" announced Panther Lily despite his mild trauma. "I have to pay them back for G-Gajeel."

"We'll place more runes and traps around the base camp," informed Freed.

"Leave the defense to us!" added Bickslow.

"We'll do that, then. Let's get going!"

Without wasting any more time, Natsu started running. After a moment of surprise, Lucy then quickly followed him, grabbing Erik by his sleeve to pull him along. Kaelys picked up Panther Lily and started running after them. Wendy was next, along with Carla and Happy.

"W-what are you doing?" protested the black cat, looking up at the teen who was holding him.

"You're scared, I'm scared, so just let me hug you and let yourself be hugged," she retorted, not even looking at him.

He was about to answer when lightning struck the sky again. She flinched, but didn't stop running. Frowning a little –he had yet to know what exactly had happened to the girl in the first place- he then decided to simply go with it.

If anyone ever asked, he wasn't scared and was comforting Kaelys. Yeah, that would work.

* * *

.

.

"Erza! Gray! Cub- Kinana!"

"G-guys!"

Erik now leading them, they had finally managed to meet back with the two. The purple snake instantly returned to the Poison Dragon Slayer's side, while the rest met back together.

"Kina, go back to base camp and help the defense," he ordered. "We don't know what they've still got…" He trailed off, listening, before a smirk twitched his lips a little. "Hey, guys! Gildarts beat Bluenote. All that's left is Hades, now."

They cheered, grinned and/or nodded at that, determination growing.

They would find Hades.

They would fight him.

And they would _win._

The battle between the Fairies and the demons was reaching its final act, and Fairy Tail would be the one stealing the spotlight.

* * *

 **Okay, so I'll go and start my little rant now: In answer to May525!**

 **I wished to apologize, to you and to everyone else reading this fic. I never realized how some of my chapters may seem rushed or roughly shaped, and I swear that I actually work a lot on this fic. I always took for granted that I didn't need to describe the characters, but I now realized that I was wrong in assuming so and, reading back, I came to understand that you were right and that it _was_ confusing at some points. However, I am no good when it comes to battles in general, hence why I try to wrap things up as quickly as possible. I'm very sorry for that. I'm sorry if I disappointed you guys in any kind of way, and I promise I'll try to make it better. Right now, though, many more chapters have already been written, but I swear I'll start working on correcting my amateur's mistakes.**

 **I hope you still enjoyed reading it, please don't give up on this story yet. I love you guys! And thank you!**


	31. Fairy Tail VS Grimoire Heart!

**Yeah, new chapter! This is almost the end of the Tenroujima Arc. Hope you'll like it! Fair warning, though: I'm USELESS when its comes to fighting scenes. So, I apologize in advance.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

"He's here."

The seven mages and the three cats stiffened, and lifted their heads to see none other than the Master of Grimoire Heart staring down at them, from the top of his gigantic ship. Standing tall on the deck, looking down at them. _On_ them. To him, they obviously weren't any more of a threat than some pitifiul flies.

"I can't hear Beth," Erik warned, narrowing his eyes. "I don't know what happened but... be on your guard."

"The third generation of Fairy Tail!" Hades's voice suddenly echoed. "Come, if you dare, Makarov's brood!" On which… he returned inside his ship.

" _You_ come down _here!"_ raged Natsu.

"He thinks he's all that…" grunted Gray, annoyed.

"Well, he _is_ the Master of what is known as the strongest Dark Guild," pointed out flatly Kaelys. "I think he's allowed some arrogance."

"He's the one who hurt the Master…" Erza gritted her teeth.

"If we can just teach this guy a lesson, then we can all leave the island safely, right?" inquired Wendy, determined.

"Yup!" confirmed Lucy. "We'll all get out of here."

"Happy…" Natsu called, having calmed down. "I have a request for you guys. Please… search around the ship for the source of its power, and destroy it."

"It _would_ be a problem if it started flying again," agreed Happy. "For you, Natsu, and Erik too!"

"No it wouldn't!" snapped the Poison Dragon Slayer.

Natsu simply coughed in his fist, looking away, as the man cursed under his breath about how he did _not_ have motion sickness.

"Very well," then agreed Carla.

"Leave that much to us," nodded Panther Lily. Then, he glanced up at Kaelys, who was still holding him. "… I will need to leave."

"Uh? Oh, right. Sorry about that." Sheepish, the teen put him back down.

"Let's get this party started!" Gray exclaimed, calling forth his Magic. "Here we go!"

He slammed his palms against the island's floor, and stairs made of ice spread from the ground and into the air, leading all the way up on the ship. Before the black-haired girl could say anything, all of the mages started running up. she sighed, shaking slightly her head, which drew Gray's attention.

"Kaelys?"

"… I _could_ have just flown all of us there," pointed out the teen.

The Ice Make wizard rubbed the back of his head, not having thought of it earlier, before the both of them quickly went to follow their friends.

"He's a wizard on an even higher level than our Master," then informed Erza as they made their way to the top. They were moving fast, but Kaelys couldn't help but wonder if they weren't a little bit _too_ fast. "We're going to go all-out from the start, at the same time!"

"Right!" nodded Wendy.

Gray gritted his teeth. "I'll give every last bit of power I have!"

"We don't have time to think about what comes afterwards!" added Lucy.

"I finally get to punch this guy!" cheered Natsu with a feral grin. "I'm all fired up!"

"I call dibs on the first blood!" called Kaelys.

"Just shut up and run faster already!" snapped back Erik, already ahead of them.

A few seconds later, they reached the upper deck. Barging inside the room of commands, Natsu propelled himself forward. "HADES! Taste… the power of Fairy Tail!"

But even though their enemy was suddenly engulfed in a sea of fire, he seemed uninjured.

Unperturbed.

"Black Wing: _Moon Gleam_!"

" _Cold Excalibur!_ "

 _"Poison Dragon's Fist!_ _"_

 _"_ Gate of the Golden Bull, I open thee! _Taurus_!"

"Arms: _Vernier!"_

 _"_ _Mind Burst!"_

But before any attack could hit, all weapons and Magic were deflected.

Or rather, _reflected._

"M-Macbeth!" Erza's eyes widened as they fell on the black-haired boy now appearing before them. "What are you doing!?"

"I can't hear him," Erik clenched his jaw, snapping his gaze to Hades. "What have you done to him!?"

"Me? Nothing. I merely… convinced him, of joining. Surely, Truth and you will follow his example. You _were_ the strongest members of Oración Seis," mused the Master of Grimoire Heart. "And I find myself in dire need of new henchmen."

"Fuck no!" the Poison Dragon Slayer retorted. "Titania! Kaelys and I will handle him, you and the others take care of Hades!"

"Hai!"

"Midnight, take care of your friends," simply ordered the Master.

The black-haired boy said nothing, merely lifting his hands… and disappearing.

"Shit!" Kaelys cursed, taking a look around. "I hate invisibility so much right now…"

Then, she spotted him, near the door.

"There!"

He disappeared again, though this time by running into the hallway. Forgetting about the rest, she instantly went after him.

"O-oi! Kae!" Erik started running after them. "Damn it!"

He too left the room without another look back.

* * *

.

.

"Macbeth…" called softly Kaelys, wary. She was advancing slowly now, the whole ship more or less plunged into darkness. "Come on out… we _just_ wanna talk…"

A noise ahead made her jump, and she quickly backed away, only to freeze as her back hit something warm. Tensing, she tilted her head up, and red eyes clashed with hers, making her startle.

"M-Macbeth!"

"Have you betrayed us? Have you betrayed Oración Seis?"

"… what?"

He narrowed his eyes at her, stepping out of the shadows as she turned to fully face him, wary.

He seemed colder. Distant.

Like how he was back in Oración Seis.

"Beth… what has he done to you?" she frowned, taking a step forward. "Can't you remember anything? We've joined Fairy Tail _months_ ago-"

"Why would we _actually_ join a Guild of the light?" he raised an eyebrow, unperturbed. "It was a joke all along. Have you truly been lying to us all of this time?"

"N-no, of course not! We found Nirvana, and the Light Guilds fucked shit up and pretty much beat all of us," she resumed, trying to recall whatever she could of the events. "Brain's dead, we were all about to be imprisoned for life, but we were offered the chance to join a legal Guild for a few years of probation and voila!"

He stared at her for a moment.

"I should know better than to doubt your word, Truth," he then sighed, hands lazily shoved in his pockets. "But you're wrong. This was all an illusion, Kaelys. A test, by Master Hades, to see how far our loyalties lied. We never actually joined Fairy Tail. Or… did _you?_ Have you actually believed all along that we could finally be a part of that… family? _"_

"I… I don't understand…"

"We joined because it was the easiest way to gain their trust. Of course we weren't about to reach a happy ending so easily, what were you thinking?" replied a new voice.

The girl tensed, eyes locked with Erik's. His arms were crossed behind his head, an eyebrow raised in mild irritation.

"You're… you're kidding, right?" She didn't find it funny, she really didn't. Her voice rose a little. "This… all of this, couldn't have been a _lie!_ We fought together… laughed together… we received a second chance, one we never deserved-"

"We still have that chance, Loudmouth," the maroon-haired man placed his hand on her shoulder. "But not on those terms. Not on _their_ terms. Do you think Fairy Tail will ever truly accept us? Accept _you,_ and those voices of yours? No, of course not. _We're_ the only ones who ever have accepted you, and ever will."

She lowered her eyes, heart thundering in her chest.

This was wrong.

This was _so wrong._

An apple was presented to her, and she barely lifted her gaze to the Reflector mage. "Eat up, Truth. Get back some energy. Then, we'll go hunt down the Fairies and get rid of that illusion of happiness once and for all."

Hesitantly, she reached her hand out to the fruit. Grabbing it, she then stared at the red skin for a few seconds… before making it implode. Pieces of the fruit flew around as the juice trickled down her palm.

"You made a mistake," she then muttered, head shaking. "Those voices of mine? They're _gone._ Have been for a while too. So… _stop messing with my head!"_

There was a mental blast, and the distinct sound of a body hitting metal. Instantly, Erik vanished, and she found herself facing a knocked out Macbeth, who had kissed the wall a little too harshly.

She then took notice of the pieces of apple lying around, and the juice still covering her hand.

 _That_ had been real.

"… why did he want me to eat?" she wondered, slightly confused.

"Because there's a curse on the food."

"Fuck!" she cursed, turning around to face none other than Erik. He finally reached them, scowling. "Don't do that! Where the hell were you anyway?"

"Got lost. Can't hear you _or_ him, remember?" he grunted. "Anyway, found a room with a table and, you guessed it, loads of food. There was a curse placed on it, or a potion, or whatever you want to call it but it basically took away his free will and brainwashed him. Side effects would be a slight loss of memory."

"Slight? He still thinks we're searching for Nirvana!" protested the teen.

"Right," sweatdropped a little the Poison Dragon Slayer. "Anyhow, all we need to do is hit him over the head hard enough to… err.." He trailed off, only now noticing the state of their friend, still unconscious. "Yeah, that works too, I guess."

They both kneeled next to him and, without hesitation, Erik slapped him harshly. Seeing as he didn't even flinch, he was about to hit him again when a vice-like grip suddenly tightened around his wrist, and bloody orbs half-glared at him.

"Next time you send me as the rescue party…" he said in a low tone. "Make sure there actually _is_ something to rescue."

"Right…"

Kaelys helped the boy up, cringing a little when noticing the harsh bump forming on the back of his head. "Sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it. So, what did I miss?"

"They're currently having their asses kicked by Hades," informed Erik. "Should we go back, or wait a little longer for some dramatic entrance?"

"No way, I called dibs on first blood, remember?" retorted the teen with a snort, already heading away. "Stop being lazy and let's go already."

She took a turn, disappearing into the hallway.

"Says the one who was unconscious for pretty much the whole duration of the attack on the island," muttered the Poison Dragon Slayer under his breath.

 _"_ _I heard that!"_ she called.

"I don't care!"

"You two act like children," deadpanned Macbeth.

His best friend simply shrugged.

He _was_ right,after all.

* * *

.

.

Natsu was so _angry._ No matter what they tried, how strong their attacks were, they simply had no effect on Hades. The man kept looking down on them, unscathed and obviously unbothered by their four-on-one fight, which he was winning with awful ease.

Plus, where were the other three? He knew they went to take care of Macbeth, but surely they would be back by now-

Hades suddenly started gathering his Magic, apparently intending on finishing this battle. "It is Makarov's fault that you will die suffering-"

 _"_ _Not!"_

Out of nowhere, Kaelys collided with the man, sending him fly into a wall. She landed back on her feet as their enemy disapeared under a blanket of dust and debris and, grinning, dusted her cloths a little before turning to her friends.

"Sorry about the lateness," she apologized, rushing to Lucy's side. "Macbeth was acting like an ass, so we had to knock some sense into him."

"I was under a spell," retorted the boy, coming in, with a slight scowl on his face. "I blame Erik."

"Hey!"

"Anyway… You guys alright?" wondered the teen, only then noticing their rather miserable state.

"How… dare you…"

The black-haired teen reported her attention on their foe, who was now slowly coming out of the rubbles.

There was some red on his cheek, making her grin once again, though it was more feral. "Guess I got my dibs."

"It would seem you truly joined Makarov's brood," he remarked, wiping away the blood. "A shame. Such a waste of potential…"

"I daresay I became even stronger than when I was with Oración Seis," she shrugged.

"Without a doubt. However… If you couldn't even face one of the Kin, do you truly believe you can beat _me?"_

"Not alone, I can't," she admitted. "So I guess it's a good thing we're all here to make you eat the dust, right?"

"You all stand together… and so you will all die together. Be gone."

He lifted his hand, fingers in the shape of a gun, and a ball crackling with Dark Magic started forming at the tip.

 _"_ _Trap: Bubble!"_

As soon as he fired, the spell was contained. It didn't last for long, but it bought enough time for her friends to attack.

 _"_ _Roar of the Poison Dragon!"_

 _"_ _Invisible Scythe!"_

Kaelys moved away to escape the spell fired by Hades. It had lost much of its efficacy, but she'd rather not be hit. However, as she reached a safer location, the attacks of her two friends were simply… nullified.

"No way! Not even a scratch?" she protested.

"Be it one, or ten, or a hundred…" Hades started forming his black sphere again. "None will ever be able to beat me."

He fired again. Her hand snapped up, and she focused on a little trick she had only managed once, back in Edolas. Concentrating on the particles of Magic themselves, she ignored the cold ache spreading in her head as she fought for control. The Master of Grimoire Heart instantly noticed, and pushed even harder.

The black sphere was now frozen in place, between the two, and growing even larger by each passing second.

"This is _not_ going to end well…" she muttered, sweat forming on her forehead.

"Die."

"Don't wanna!"

The black sphere exploded. The blast knocked the both of them off their feet, and Kaelys hissed in pain when colliding with the wall. She fell to her knees, somewhat dizzy, and groaned in annoyance when realizing that the sudden blast had gotten Macbeth and Erik too. The Reflector mag, having already suffered a blow to the head earlier, was down for the count. As for the Poison Dragon Slayer… well, let's just say that the blood running down his face _wasn't_ a good sign.

And of course, Hades was perfectly fine.

"You're growing to be quite the annoyance, Truth," he scowled a little. "How Brain let you go, I'll never know-"

"Let me go?" She snorted. "He _didn't,_ because I _killed_ him. Or rather, I killed his other persona… Zero, right? A real pain in the ass, he was… But you know, I'm growing rather tired of you guys."

The man appeared just before her, yet another of his sphere already growing in his palm. She sat on her knees, glaring up at him with all her might. She then lifted her hand, on which was proudly displayed the mark of Fairy Tail.

"I am _not_ a member of Oración Seis. I am _not_ a dark mage. I am _not_ Truth."

"Fuck!" Erik tried to run at them, but he was simply thrown at the other side of the room like some sort of ragdoll.

"Kae!" Lucy started panicking, unable to move.

The teen bared her teeth at the Master. _"The name's Kaelys, so you better remember it!"_

She closed her eyes as he brought down his hand.

…

…

…

There was suddenly a crackle of electricity. Feeling the ghost pains on her arms, she brought them against her chest as she fell on her butt, snapping her eyes open to see none other than a really, really tall blond now standing between her and Hades.

"Pretty gutsy for a chibi," he snorted, glaring at the Master. "Anyway, you're the guy who hurt my old man?"

A familiar laugh echoed in the back of Kaelys's head, and she quickly pushed the memory of the mad Doctor aside, forcing herself not to loose it. Now was seriously not the time for another panic attack, no matter how close she was to electricity right now.

"B-boy!" For once, Hades seemed truly startled.

Before he could say anything else, though, the newcomer head-butted him harshly, making the man forcibly back away.

…

"He head-butted him," Kaelys gaped at him, in awe. "He actually… head-butted the Master of Grimoire Heart…"

"Kae, you alright?" Erik was suddenly by her side, checking for any sign of injury.

She raised her finger at the blond, who still had his back to them. "He _head-butted Hades._ "

"I know, but-"

"He _head-butted_ him!"

"I know!"

"That's, like, fricking _awesome!"_ she cheered as the electricity finally vanished, letting her relax. "He- wait. Who's he?"

"Brat," Hades then called, gaining all's attention. "You're related to Makarov, aren't you?"

For only answer, electricity once again started crackling around the guy. Kaelys flinched, but ignored the burning sensation running over her skin to return to her friends' sides. She helped Lucy up, and guided her to the side of the room, where Macbeth was still leaning against the wall, unconscious.

"Oi, Natsu. Looks like this guy totally wiped the floor with all of ya," the newcomer then remarked, somewhat tauntingly.

The pink-haired boy stared for a second, before his face broke into a grin. "Yeah, no kidding."

"W-why are you here?" Erza inquired as Erik pulled her up.

"Came to visit the founder's grave," shrugged the man. "I used to be in Fairy Tail, if you remember." The redhead smiled at that, and quietly thanked Erik when the Poison Dragon Slayer brought her next to Lucy and Macbeth.

Kaelys quickly went to help Wendy.

"Thank you, Kaelys-san," smiled the little girl.

"No problem. Come on, we don't want to get in the way."

"I came here to visit Mavis's grave," repeated the blond man. "And look at what I've found… The Second Master's here too. Considering you're here and all, maybe I'll make you a grave, too!"

"Wait, whaaaat?" mumbled Kaelys, making Wendy sit next to Erza. "That guy's the Second Master?"

"Didn't see that one coming," agreed Erik under his breath, dragging Natsu across the room to throw him next to the others.

"I'm fine," Gray protested a little when Kaelys reached him. She stared at his unmoving form, unimpressed, and he sighed a little. "Alright, alright, help me up."

This time using her telekinesis –Gray was much heavier than the other two-, she wasted no time in bringing him to the "safer" location where all the others were laying, trying to regain some of their Magic and energy. There was no doubt that things were about to get messy, and Kaelys truly didn't want to see her friends caught in the crossfire.

That, and she did her best not to pay attention to the electricity that was once again crackling around the blond.

"Humph. Honestly, now…" Hades shook his head. "Never thought the boy would have such a stuck-up grandkid."

Instantly, a dark aura started emanating from him. Both Magics clashed violently, making Kaelys stumble a little. Then, next thing she knew, they had started their battle. She could barely follow the flow of it, the two of them moving too fast for a normal eye to see, but she could still see that, at the moment, their newly found ally had the upper hand.

The suddenness of the situation also diverted her attention from the bunch of memories trying to overwhelm her, which was a plus.

"He was in Fairy Tail, before?" Kaelys recalled his words from earlier. "What could have… Oh! Could this have anything to do with that festival-thingy Ever and Bickslow and… err, the other one, have done?"

"He was the leader of their team," confirmed the red-haired Knight. "He was punished by being banned from the Guild."

"Oh…" The teen's mood shifted a little. "But he'll come back, right?"

The Titania looked away. "I… don't know about that."

"I see. Hey, isn't that one of you guys' Dragon Roars?"

Effectively, the blond man had used an attack much similar to those, though he was 'roaring' lightning instead of fire, air, poison or metal.

"He had a Lacrima implanted, like mine," answered Erik, plopping down on the floor, rubbing the back of his head. "His name's Laxus, right?"

"Aa," confirmed Gray, obviously relieved. "Never thought I'd be happy to see him, of all people…"

Kaelys reported her attention on the man she now knew was named Laxus, and couldn't help but smile a little. With what he was doing now, surely the Master would reconsider his banishment, right? Saving everyone's ass _had_ to count for something.

From one of Hades's Magic circles came out some sort of chain. Laxus easily evaded it, but Kaelys narrowed her eyes when she realized that the chain had attached itself to the giant globe above the throne, just behind him. The Dragon Slayer noticed it a little too late, but still tried to move out of the way.

The globe was sent through a wall, and disappeared into the ocean below. Both fighters stared for a second, wondering what the hell just happened.

"Truth," growled lowly Hades, glaring her way. "Your interference has grown quite annoying."

Instantly, purple runes surrounded her. She tried to fly away, but collided with a solid wall of Magic.

"Runes," she gasped.

"Implode."

 _"_ _Shield!"_

She instantly formed a shield around herself. The attack hit, and she gritted her teeth, hoping she'd be able to withstand the strength of the blow. As her shield began to crack, though, something grabbed her. In the blink of an eye, she was at the very opposite of where she was just before, held above the ground by her collar, dangling in the hand of the Laxus guy.

"Uh? Thanks for the save. Again," she beamed at him.

"I appreciate the help, chibi," he drawled, lifting her higher so that their eyes could meet. "But stay out of it."

"Whatever. And I'm Kaelys, by the way."

Erik suddenly appeared next to them.

" _Really_ not the time, Loudmouth," he remarked flatly. He then nodded to the man. "Sorry 'bout that. I'll get her out of the way."

Laxus quite literally tossed her at the maroon-haired man, who easily caught her, and she glared at the two.

"Don't treat me like a kid!" she protested.

"You _are_ a kid. Now, shut up and let him beat up the bad guy for us."

"Asshole."

"Bitch."

Everyone sweatdropped as the two quickly stepped out of the fight. Laxus scratched the back of his head, mildly wondering when exactly had Fairy Tail gone this insane, before reporting his attention on Hades, who was fuming with barely contained anger.

As Erik so well said so, he had a bad guy to beat up.

...

...

...

Or so everyone thought. After another minute or so, though, it became quite obvious that even Laxus was no match for their foe. It was an impressive fight, for sure, but the blond soon reached his limits and, in the blink of an eye, he fell to the mercy of his opponent.

"You have done well, Laxus boy. But, that ends now. You shall disappear!"

Hades fired his Magic at the kneeling blond.

"Laxus, stand up!" panicked Erza.

"Don't let it hit!" Lucy protested.

"Dodge it, please!" pleaded Wendy.

 _"_ _LAXUS!"_ roared Natsu.

Suddenly, Hades's spell was deflected.

"Macbeth!" Lucy gasped, seeing the boy now awake.

He didn't say anything, eyes narrowed at the blond man he had just saved. The Celestial mage frowned a little when her eyes then fell on Erik. His jaw was clenched tightly, as if he resigned himself to something. And Kaelys-

Wait.

 _Where's Kaelys?_

"Hey, Laxus." Lucy's heart stopped beating when she finally found the teen, who was now standing just before Makarov's grandson. "Shock me."

"… what?"

"Shock me." Then, after a beat, she added: "Please."

"W-why would I do that? You crazy or something!?" he protested, holding his stomach.

"I'm not crazy!" she snapped back, before breathing in deeply. "Just do it already."

"No, wait, Kae!" Lucy shook her head, trying to stand. "You can't-"

Natsu suddenly stopped her, staring at the girl with a serious expression.

"Lys…" he called, somewhat quietly. "Are you sure?"

The teen nodded firmly, her eyes locking with Hades's. The man was watching everything unfold with some sort of curiosity, obviously unaware of what was to come.

"I am."

"… alright. Laxus, do it," asked the pink-haired boy.

He wanted to say no. He really, _really_ wanted to say no. What the hell would his grandfather even say about him electrocuting one of his children!? But noticing Natsu's seriousness –which was a rather scary thing, seriously- and the weird girl's determination, he found himself unable to refuse.

"Alright," he grunted, grabbing her ankle. "Gonna hurt, though."

"I know."

He sent a shock through her body. Instantly, Kaelys's mind cave in. She had been walking on a thin line ever since he arrived, but she now lost her balance and let the memories she had been fighting back since the beginning now take over.

However, this time, _she_ would be the one in control.

She couldn't fight back the pain. She couldn't fight back the fear. But… she could fight back her enemy. She couldn't control her anger. She couldn't control her agony. But… she could control her Magic, if she tried.

 _Redirect_ it.

The cackle of the mad Doctor shifted in a mess of ice shards to the hoarse, taunting laugh of Hades. That man might not be the one who scarred her body and her mind, but he was the one threatening the safety of her family. That ought to do the trick.

The electricity was crackling around her, echoing in her ears and promising endless nightmares once this was over. Fighting to keep conscious of her surroundings, she somehow managed to block out the pain for now,

Her resolve hardened, and she slammed her fists together.

"Leave it to me." And she propelled herself at Hades.

He activated his Magic to deflect her, but she easily bypassed his defense and her fist landed harshly on his face.

"You hurt my friends!" She hit him again. "You hurt Gajeel!" Again. "And Mira!" Again. "And Ever, and Elfman, and Juvia, and Cana, and Master!" Again. He crashed into the wall. "You tried to kill everyone… for what!? Some illusion of _grandeur?"_

A chain suddenly sprung and wrapped itself around her arms, tying them together. Panic bubbled in her chest at the sight as darkness edged over her vision.

"Ah! Now, you can't use your hands!" he seethed.

"I…" She tensed, before snarling at him. "Don't need them! _Electro Burst!"_

Lightning crackled against her skin, running up the chain and hitting its user square in the chest. He instantly let go, and she used the opportunity to run at him again. She was moving fast, too fast for anyone to see, and slamming the man around as if he was no more than some sort of ragdoll. She hissed in pain when his fist connected with her face, but harshly bit down on her tongue to keep herself from loosing focus.

The electricity covering her body was _burning._ Or maybe it was all in her head? She couldn't tell anymore. One way or another, though, it hurt a lot. She didn't have the luxury to linger on it, though. Rushing ahead, she slid between his legs and hit him in the back. Her eyes widened when he however spun around, grabbing her fist and twisting it harshly.

It snapped like a twig.

 _"Argh!"_

Darkness was edging over her vision. She could see nothing but her opponent, the rest of her vision vague, blurred. Panting heavily, she ignored the sharp stings and reached out to slap her hand over Hades's face. And so, pouring all of her pain and frustration into her attacks, she shocked him once again. He instantly dropped her to the ground, eletrical burns all over his face, and she instantly saw her opportunity.

 _"_ N-Natsu! Everyone!" She snapped her friends' way. "Let's finish this!"

Reacting instantly, they all sprang to their feet and jumped into the action.

It was now or never.

 _"_ _Roar of the Fire Dragon!"_

 _"_ _Ice Make: explosion!"_

"Heaven's Wheel: _Blumenblatt!"_

 _"Poison Dragon's Roar_ _!"_

"Open, Gate of the Crow! _Corvus!"_

The black-haired boy appeared and winked, maul in hands. _"Kagekōgeki:_ _Funsai suru!"_

 _"_ _Roar of the Sky Dragon!"_

 _"_ _Invisible Scythe!"_

 _"_ _Electro Burst!"_ And she let out all of the Magic she could gather.

All of the attacks hit at once, quite literally ripping the ship in half while it was at it, and Hades had no chance of escape. After a few seconds, all Magics vanished, and most of the Fairies collapsed due to exhaustion. Amongst the debris laid now a very beaten up Master.

Corvus waved, promptly leaving. No way was he taking more of Lucy's energy than needed.

Their relief was of short notice, though.

"Fuck, Kaelys!" cursed Erik.

The teen's Magic was still very much active, swirling around. She was obviously out of it, but her body kept reacting to the earlier shock. Now that Hades was beaten, she had lost her focus, and could no longer redirect her Magic. She was now instinctively protecting herself against a threat that no longer was there.

At this rate, she'd kill herself, though.

Lucy, somehow finding the strength to move, wasted no time in running to her side. The girl was crying again and, contrary to what they first believe, she was still very much conscious.

"I-I can't control it…" she gasped through her tears. "I can't, I'm sorry…"

Lucy placed her hands on the teen's cheeks, forcing her to look at her.

"Kae. Kae, listen to me," she pleaded softly. "I know it hurts, but I also know that you _can_ control it, okay?"

"I can't, I'm sorry, I can't-"

"You _can._ Now, take deep breaths. In. Out. Do it with me, alright? Just look at me, Kae, and _breath_. Listen to my voice." Ordered the Celestial mage gently, but firmly. "The fight is over. We won. _Breath._ You can relax, now. You're here, with your friends. _Breath._ I'm here with you. We all are. The battle's over. _Breath._ Listen to my voice, Kae, focus. _Focus._ "

The Thief mage choked, but forced herself to focus anyway. There were flashes of light, flashes of pain, he was laughing now bu she was hurting and with couldn't they stop it hurt and she could feel the drugs slithering in her veins but never numbing her nerves as they burned again and again and again-

 _"_ _Breath."_

So she did.

In.

Out.

Again.

Over and over.

In.

Out.

Finally, after minutes that felt like hours, her Magic stopped going haywire, and the last few ghosts of memories still lingering in her mind disappeared. Shaking, she let herself fall into Lucy's arm, and the older girl started stroking her hair as she kept on inhaling and exhaling deeply.

"… w-we won…?" She had to make sure.

"Yeah. It's over, now. You did a great job."

"G-good…" Her heart was beating too fast in her chest, but she ignored it. "L-Lucy-nee?"

"Hmm?"

"I-I wanna go home."

The blonde laughed a little at that, hugging her tightly. "I know. Me too. But don't worry, okay? We'll be home soon enough. I promise."

"What a touching scene. And really, such impressive youths…"

Everyone stiffened at the voice.

It couldn't be.

"No…"

"Makarov, you bastard… you've raised some fearsome whippersnappers."

It really was, though.

"How many decades has it been… since someone has beaten me like this?" And, covered in blood and bruises, Hades rose from the ground.

He Requiped some sort of coat as Wendy let out a whimper. Kaelys could only stare, unable to believe what she was seeing.

"It will be a trivial matter to clean up now, but I must honor you properly for showing me an enjoyable time." On which he took off his eyepatch. Then, his closed eye snapped open. "Devil's Eye… Open!"

His eye was glowing _red._

…

"Are you fucking _kidding_ me!?" protested Kaelys, voice breaking. _"Seriously!?_ Fucking copycat… _"_

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Shirokage was surely laughing.

"I will show you all… the depths of Magic… This is a realm that far surpasses your imagination," he claimed. "It-"

"N-Natsu."

As the man started ranting, the pink-haired boy reported his attention on the blond Dragon Slayer. "W-what is it, Laxus?"

"Take this. And _beat_ him."

Before he could wonder about what he had just been told, Laxus slammed his fist into the ground, and gave away what was left of his Magic to him. The boy instantly felt a surge of energy, his Magic fusing with his ex-guildmate's.

"W-why… why me…?"

"B-because… someone in the Guild… someone bearing the mark… needs to kick his ass," answered the man, gasping for air. "He hurt the Guild… so that Guild will get him back for it… a hundred times over! Ya hear me, Natsu?"

"… Aa. I got this."

On which, he attacked. Hades and him instantly started battling, darkness against flames and lightning. However, even as he did so, the man still managed to summon many monsters made of shadows. As they battled, and as the enemy moved nearer and nearer, the Thief mage tasted the bitter despair she had grown to despise.

"L-Lucy-nee…" Kaelys closed her eyes tightly. "I can't move…"

"… me neither," the blonde choked out, tightening her grip on her. "I'm sorry. I promised we'd go home, but…"

"I know. It's okay-"

"The _fuck_ are you guys talking about?"

"E-Erik!"

The purple-eyed man gritted his teeth, rising to his feet, as the rest gaped at him.

"You about to give up?" He snapped, obviously angry. "Just because he's stronger, just because he's standing again? Damn it, that's not the Fairy Tail that kicked our asses a few months ago, back on Nirvana! Ash-for-brains is fighting, isn't he? He's still fighting, so why the hell should _we_ give up so easily?"

Without any more hesitation, he started running at the enemy.

"I won't go down… without a fight!" he snarled.

The first shadow exploded on impact.

Kaelys started shaking again, but it took Lucy a second to realize she was _smiling._

"God… God damn it…" The teen wiped her tears away, grinning bitterly. "Can't believe he's _right,_ for once…"

 _"_ _I heard that!"_

"Fuck off!" She outright laughed this time around. Then, despite her shaky limbs, she forced herself to stand. Then, she extended her hand to Lucy. "Come on, Lucy-nee. We're not done yet!"

The blonde gasped, before rubbing her eyes and smiling back, taking her hand.

"Hai!"

"Damn, never thought Erik would be the one doing a pep talk…" muttered Macbeth, rising too.

 _"_ _Still heard that!"_ came from somewhere in the melee.

Gray snorted, and he and Erza stood up too.

"Can't let him take all the glory now, can we?" he smirked a little.

"He's right. We won't give up… until the bitter end. Let's go!"

"Hai!"

They all charged at once.

* * *

.

.

Somehow, the ship had been utterly destroyed.

Natsu was still fighting Hades. His burst of Magic graciously lent by Laxus had managed a complete annihilation of the Shadows and, to be honest, the others hadn't been able to do much, in the end. However, the pink-haired boy was now back to square one when it came to Magic –which meant he had none- and was _still_ fighting a very much unaffected Hades.

 _Not_ a good thing.

The rest of them were panting harshly, back on their knees. They _would_ have helped the boy, but butting in the middle of the fight just felt like a completely suicidal idea at that very moment.

"We need to do _something!"_ Kaelys was angry. At herself. At Hades. "We can't just stand there while Natsu fights!"

"But what _can_ we do?" replied Lucy, an hand over her heart.

"How 'bout waiting a few more seconds? I hear something."

At Erik's statement, they turned to him. His eyes were closed as he listened intently to what was happening around them. Magic or not, his hearing wasn't something he could simply get rid of.

Then, a small grin stretched his lips.

"What is it?" asked Gray, cringing when he poked a rather nasty bruise on his arm.

"Look."

They all turned their heads in the direction he was pointing at, and a dumbfound silence fell over the group as, before their eyes, the Tenrou Tree started growing proud and tall again.

"… wasn't it destroyed earlier?" wondered Kaelys, somewhat confused.

"It's Ultear," answered the Poison Dragon Slayer, a disbelieving chuckle escaping his lips. "Seems like she had a change of heart."

Suddenly, their guildmarks started glowing. The Thief mage stared at the purple light emanating from the tatoo on her hand with awe. It truly was an amazing sight, after all, one she doubted she would see again any time soon.

"Our magic power is returning…" suddenly realized Erza, eyes wide.

"It's fully back!" gasped Gray.

"Let's go help Natsu!" Kaelys jumped on her feet.

"Right!"

"Move it!" A shadow blurred passed them.

…

…

…

"Was that Laxus?" blinked Kaelys.

"I... think it was?"

They followed anyway.

When they finally reached the fight, Natsu was getting his ass thoroughly kicked. Not wasting a second, Laxus stepped in and sucker-punched Hades in the face.

"Do it! Fairy Tail!"

He was blown away as the rest arrived.

"This might be the last attack!" warned Erza.

"Let's blast him with all the magic power we got back!" ordered Gray.

"You'll face my wrath for all of this!" seethed Hades, aiming his Magic at them.

"We don't have a contract yet, but hell…" Lucy muttered, avoiding the attack and falling into a stance. "Open, Gate of the Goat! _Capricorn_!"

"At your service, Lucy-sama," greeted the Spirit, appearing next to her.

"Capricorn, please!"

"Of course."

The Goat instantly attacked Hades, landing a few good hits. Too occupied by the Spirit, he didn't see Wendy and Erik coming from behind.

"I learnt this by watching… _Wing Slash of the Sky Dragon!"_

 _"_ _Sound Wall!"_

He took the two attacks full on, and was blasted away. Gray instantly jumped into the action.

"Ice sword… _Icebringer!"_

Erza followed suit. "Requip! Heaven's Wheel: _Pentagram Sword!"_

The Master of Grimoire Heart crashed into the ground.

Macbeth stepped in. " _Spiral Pain!"_

As their enemy got caught in the spell, Natsu used the opportunity to gather what was left of his Fire Magic and the Lightning Magic, fusing the two of them for a final attack.

" _Crimson Exploding Lightning Edge!"_

Just as the old man escaped Macbeth's Magic, he was hit with Natsu's. He crashed halfway through what was left of his deck, coughing out blood.

"I-I can't… loose…" he protested, though to weak to move. His eyes then landed on Kaelys, who had appeared next to him for the finishing blow. "T-Truth…"

If anyone ever asked what she had been thinking in that moment, she would tell them that she truly, honestly intended to simply knock him out. However, as soon as that _name_ rolled his his tongue, she found herself unable to restrain herself.

"I told you…" She growled lowly, before bringing her fist down, hitting him straight in the guts. "The name's KAELYS!"

This time, he fully passed through the deck. Everyone cringed a little at hearing the Master of Grimoire Heart crash through each floor of his ship, before finally hitting rock bottom –quite literally- and stopping… No, wait, he passed through the metal hull too...

Anyway, he wouldn't be getting up anytime soon.

A few seconds of tensed, fearful silence passed.

Then, Natsu fell to his knees, and let out a howl of relief. "GAAAH! WE SHOWED 'EM! WE… we showed 'em, damn it… This is our Guild… this is… FAIRY TAIL!"

Erik instantly hit him over the head, making him eat the deck. "SHUT UP!"

"Y-you wanna fight, snake face!?" spluttered the pink-haired boy, grinning madly.

"Bring it on, pinky!"

Erza quickly brought her fist down upon their heads. " _No_ fighting!"

They slumped over in pain. "Yes ma'am…"

Kaelys laughed a little, before going to hug Lucy.

 _"_ _Now_ it's over."

"We did it," the blonde confirmed, relieved. "It's-"

"WAAAH! NATSU, HELP US!"

At the cry, they all turned around to see Happy, Lily and Carla running towards them, numerous enemies on their trail.

"Seriously?" Yes, Kaelys was whining now. But seriously, who could blame her? That had been one shitty adventure.

"Damn it…"

"Crap, we really have no magic power left, now," grunted Gray.

"What can we do?"

"Just let them handle it," shrugged Erik, sitting down with a groan.

"Who're you talking about?" blinked Kaelys.

"That's far enough!"

The teen jumped at the sudden exclamation. All of those present turned around to see the rest of their guildmates now standing behind them, obviously ready to fight. All of those they had left injured back at the camp were now standing, too.

"Gramps!"

"Everyone!"

"Master!"

"I'm glad you're all safe!"

"Yes, with the island back to normal, so is its divine protection…" mused Erza.

"I'm just glad everyone's back on their feet," Kaelys sighed heavily. She _really_ wanted a nap right about now.

Just next to her, Macbeth was snoring already.

Doubt started to spread amongst what was left of their enemies. For them, not only were there more mages to fight, but their Master had also been defeated.

"Get off this island this instant!" ordered Makarov, obviously not amused. "You are not welcomed here!"

A heartbeat later, their enemies ran and scattered like disoriented rats. As soon as they disappeared from their sight, the tension vanished and everyone allowed themselves to relax, and enjoy a hard-won victory.

It was over now.

…

…

…

Or so they wished, though they wouldn't realize the danger until it was too late.

* * *

 **So, I tried to make it better but, as said earlier, I suck at fights. Also, for those wondering if what happened to Macbeth had a reason... Well, there are three, really:**

 **FIRST! I wanted to escape from writing the first part of the battle. I'm ashamed to admit it, but it's the truth.**

 **SECOND! Hades obviously had a plan for the three. The food prepared was for the three of them to eat together once they were captured, and so they would have been brainwashed. Of course, it was a rather weak curse, but it would have been enough for them to cause real damage to their friends.**

 **THIRD! ... Secret~!**

 **Anyway, that's all for now. Look forward to Acnologia's arrival!**


	32. Still In Danger

**Okay, so a much shorter chapter than usual, and the last one of the Tenroujima Arc. A special thanks to 19vanelkc for reassuring me concerning the fights, I'm glad they're better than I thought.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

When Kaelys woke up, she truly couldn't have felt more confused.

Everyone's injuries were getting treated, that much she could understand. Macbeth was also sleeping in the shade, and Wendy was healing everyone, which was normal. However, seeing the Thunder God Tribe bursting into tears at random while chanting 'Laxus-sama, Laxus-sama', Natsu being knocked out by Gildarts, Juvia chasing after Gray while the poor boy ran away, Erik and Gajeel trying to fight despite their injuries…

"Nevermind," she sweatdropped a little. "Everything's normal."

Because for Fairy Tail, it truly was.

Shaking her head a little, she took the time to stretch her sore limbs, but a sharp pang in her wrist made her cringe. She had forgotten how easily Hades had snapped it in two, and Wendy apparently hadn't been able to heal it fully, considering the bandage around it Deciding to take it easy, she then quickly changed into the clothes laid next to her makeshift bed. She couldn't remember when she had fallen asleep, but it mustn't have been so long ago, if the sun still shining brightly in the sky was anything to go by.

Tying her knife to her belt, she then stepped out of the tent. As she did so, she found most of the males now being… healed? Yeah, healed by Erza, who was now wearing a nurse outfit.

"They look… in pain…" She paled a little when seeing the redhead literally strangling Gray and Gajeel with the bandages. "They…"

The more she tried to hold it in, though, the harder it became… until she could no longer do it. She started laughing. Was it from exhaustion, relief, joy, she wasn't able to say, but she was just so _glad_ it was over, that everyone was okay…

"Kae!"

"L-Lucy-nee!" The teen gasped for some air through her laughter. She wiped a tear away, beaming at the blonde. "That's Fairy Tail for you, isn't it?"

The Celestial mage smiled back. "That's our Guild!"

They laughed a little as Elfman tried to escape Erza's clutches, before heading for another of the tents, where the smell of food was coming.

"You should get back some forces," remarked the blonde, handing her a plate. "Take anything you want."

"Don't mind if I do."

They had been joined by Cana, Levy and Lisanna a few minutes later. As the five of them ate to their heart's contents, they each resumed what exactly had happened during the time they were separated.

"Still… using your trauma to override the limits of your Magic?" mused Levy, thoughtful. "That's pretty brilliant, though I can guess it wasn't fun."

"Really not," agreed the teen with a cringe, rubbing her wrists. "I'd rather not do it again."

"You managed to control it, though," remarked Lucy with a smile. She patted her head. "I'm proud of you, Kae."

The black-haired teen grinned back, happy. She was about to ask Levy about what exactly had happened to the three members of Grimoire Heart that had attacked the camp while they were gone when, suddenly, killing intent filled the air.

Kaelys stiffened, instantly noticing it was aimed at her. Slowly, she turned around to find none other than Mirajane. The woman was smiling sweetly, but the teen could literally see the anger hidden behind.

"Kaelys…"

She flinched at the honeyed tone. "H-hey, Mira… doing good?"

"Hmm, pretty great, actually. But, you know? I just found myself stuck on a very important question," retorted the white-haired woman with a sharp smile. "Say that one of your friends decided to sacrifice themselves for you and gave themselves up to the enemy without even a fight, how would you react?"

"… understand they were doing it because they thought it was the right thing to do but be irrationally angry anyway?"

There was a moment of silence. Then, the killing intent vanished as Mirajane knelt down to hug her. After a second of hesitation, Kaelys hugged back.

"I might be angry… but I'm grateful too," informed softly the barmaid. "You saved my sister and I, and I'm truly grateful for that. Just… don't go sacrificing yourself so casually next time, okay?"

"Promise."

"Great!" The eldest Strauss fully relaxed, and got back up. "Now come on, girls! Master has an important announcement to make!"

As she walked away, the five girls sighed in relief.

"I can't believe you escaped her wrath," remarked Lisanna, chuckling a little. "Though I guess she was more worried than angry…"

"Well, as long as everyone's fine, right?" replied the teen, getting up. "Anyway, let's go. Something tells me it has to do with the exam."

The other girls nodded in agreement, and quickly gathered their plates before heading for the center of the base camp, where the rest of their guildmates were now gathering.

"Brats, listen up!" then called Makarov, standing on top of a few boxes. "I have an extremely important announcement to make. From the day after we return to the Guild from Tenroujima… I'm gonna introduce a women's only dress code! You gotta choose between a nurse outfit or a school swimsuit!"

"We have to?" Kaelys paled a little. "Wait, we don't have any of those!"

"He's just kidding, Kae," Lucy patted her head in comfort.

"Master," thundered Mirajane. "This is no time for jokes."

"Sorry! I was just caught up… Ahem. Anyhow… I apologize, but I must inform you all that the S-Class Wizard Advancement Exam is on hold!" he announced, more seriously.

...

...

...

"What!?"

"No way!"

"I can't accept that, Gramps!"

"Why is it on hold?"

"Make me S-Class, damn it!"

"You're not even a candidate, Gajeel!"

"But what else can I do?" retorted the Master, exasperated. "A lot's happened."

"A member of the Magic Council infiltrated the candidates, and Grimoire Heart disrupted everything…" resumed Mirajane.

"I guess we have no choice," remarked Levy.

"Hey, you're really okay with that?" protested Gajeel.

As the most rowdy members of the Guild kept on pestering the Master about the exam, Kaelys decided to go look for a certain blond-haired Dragon Slayer. She had yet to thank him for his help, after all.

"He's over there."

The girl blinked at Lucy, who chuckled. "How'd you know I wanted to find him?"

"Let's just say that I'm starting to know you."

The Thief mage rolled her eyes at that, but thanked her anyway before heading to where she had said Laxus was seating. And, as told, she found him there, bickering lightly with Lisanna while the Thunder God Tribe watched it happen with small smiles. Kaelys took a moment to appreciate how truly relaxed the three of them now were.

"They really love him, uh…" She smiled a little at that. She quickly went to join them, and was instantly noticed by the floating totems.

"Kaelys! Kaelys!" they greeted her.

"Hey guys!" she grinned, patting one of them in greeting.

"Oh, kid!" Bickslow greeted, ruffling her hair. "Finally back on your feet, uh?"

"Stop calling me that, I'm fifteen damn it!"

"Still a kid in my books," he teased.

"Oh, stop bullying the poor girl," Evergreen swatted his hand with her fan. She then smiled at Kaelys. "It's good to see you up. I heard you outdid yourself during the battle with Hades."

"Well, I had to be useful at least once," the girl rolled her eyes. She then started muttering under her breath. "To think I didn't fight for real until we faced Hades… You guys seem happy too, though. Is it because your friend is coming back?"

"You mean Laxus?" inquired Greg- no, that wasn't it. "We sure hope he will, though it is still up to the Master to decide. Anyhow, would you like to meet him? We more or less heard of the support you provided him during the battle, but…"

"That'd be great, actually."

The green-haired man smiled a little at that, gesturing for her to follow him. The little group then went to find the blond man, just as Lisanna left to go talk to her sister. He raised an eyebrow when seeing her.

"Laxus, this is Kaelys," presented the Rune mage. "She joined Fairy Tail a few weeks after your… departure."

"Yo!" greeted the girl, sitting down in front of him. "I just wanted to thank for saving my ass twice, back on the ship."

"Don't mention it, chibi. Though, I've got to ask… what _happened_ to you?" His eyes lingered on the electrical burns covering her arms. "Am I-"

"No, no!" She quickly cut him off. "No, that was… a long time ago. Anyway, thanks a bunch! Also, I wanted to know… are you coming back to the Guild? I've been told that you were expelled, so I was just wondering…"

"What's it to you?"

"Nothing. Just thought it'd be cool to have you around," she shrugged. "Plus, you seem like a really strong guy. Maybe we could fight sometimes? It'd be fun!"

"Err… sure?"

She beamed at him, before waving to the other three and leaving. The Thunder God Tribe stared at her until she disappeared from sight.

"The hell's up with that one?" Laxus wondered, scratching the back of his head.

"Her history is… kind of complicated," Evergreen sighed a little. "Let's just say that life wasn't kind to her, and she's barely pulling through."

"She was actually a member of Oración Seis," added Bickslow. "Along with the other two, Erik and Macbeth. They're all pretty cool, though."

"Right…"

Knowing this tidbit of information, Laxus was now certain of one thing: his grandfather had gone fucking _insane._

"That chibi looks like a good kid," he however admitted, more to himself than anything else. "Though she's kind of crazy on the edges, isn't she?"

"Oh, you have _no_ idea," cackled Bickslow.

Laxus sweatdropped a little at that, unsure about if it was a good thing or a bad thing. But, of course, thinking back on it, it was _Fairy Tail_ they were talking about.

 _Everyone_ in this Guild was crazy.

* * *

"Ne, Master?"

The old man glanced her way, curious as to what she might want.

"Is Laxus staying with us?"

He made a face at that. "No."

"What? But why?"

"His punishment has not yet expired. I am grateful for what he did for the Guild, but it is felt for an outsider who helped us out, nothing more," he replied.

"But he saved my life! _Twice!_ That's not fair!"

"Kaelys…" he sighed, before shaking his head. "Why do you feel so strongly for my stupid grandson anyway? You met him a few hours ago."

"Because _everyone_ wants him to come back. Even you," she retorted, crossing her arms over her chest. "Ever and Bickslow and the other one-"

"Freed."

"Yeah, that guy. Anyway, they were _crying of joy_ when seeing him. The rest of the guys in the Guild seem to have already forgiven what happened during Fantasia, and they want him to come back too. I was told ever since I joined that Fairy Tail is happy to give a second, or even a third or a fourth chance if necessary. Why can't _he_ get that chance too?"

The old man huffed, turning his back to her, and she sighed at his stubbornness.

"Please, Master… just…" She ran an hand through her hair, searching for the right words. "Whatever you do… just don't regret it. Laxus is your family. Don't give that up by mere stubbornness. Because if you do, you'll both end up hurting, in the end. Take it from me."

He kept silent. Giving up, the teen simply walked away.

"I'll think about it."

She snapped her eyes at the wrinkled mage, startled, but his back was still turned to her, as if he hadn't said anything. She hid a small smile at that, before truly leaving, content.

* * *

 _~A dark shape roaming the sky.~_

 _~The smell of death, unmistakable.~_

 _~The end is near.~_

"Erik!"

The man jumped, and locked gazes with a worried Kaelys. The teen had apparently just gotten back from her little talk with that Laxus fellow.

"What's gotten into you?" she frowned.

"I-I…" He shook his head, getting up. "I need to talk to the old man. I'll be back in a sec."

"Wait, Erik, what-"

But he was already gone.

The girl huffed under her breath, somewhat annoyed at being left out of the loop like that, before heading to the table where most of her guildmates were.

"Is he okay?" Gajeel inquired, looking at the path Erik had gone on.

"I dunno. He just started acting weird all of sudden," she shrugged. "His eyes glazed over and I had to call him a few times before he reacted."

"Must be shock or something…" He started munching on one of forks. "Maybe one of his injuries acting up?"

"Maybe…" She wasn't convinced, but dropped the subject.

She started chatting with Levy. Bickslow and the green-haired man soon joined them, Laxus having apparently gone somewhere. Mira served everyone some drinks. As she placed down the last of the glasses, though, the sky started rumbling. All fell silent, confused.

"What was that?"

However, Evergreen and Elfman started bickering, diverting everyone's attention. As Kaelys was about to ask about whether or not they should worry, though, she felt it.

The Dark Magic.

Her guts twisted, almost painfully so.

It was there.

Close.

Too close.

"Guys…"

Then, they all heard it. The screeching, breaking noise. It made the whole island shake on its foundations, and effectively got back all's attention.

"What!?"

"That was… a dragon's cry…" remarked Wendy, tensed.

"A dragon!?"

"You mean it's not thunder!?"

Another of those cry followed suit, making them flinch.

"Everyone!" Lucy exclaimed, suddenly running out of the forest along with Natsu, Happy, Cana and Gildarts. "Are you alright!?"

Gildarts gasped in pain, bending a knee.

"Are you okay?" worried Cana.

"My old wounds are starting to hurt," he gritted his teeth, looking up at the sky. "There's no mistake about it. It's him… He's coming!"

"Oi, look up! Something's coming!" warned Panther Lily.

They all obeyed, wary, and froze.

Piercing the clouds, descending upon them like an angel of death… was a dragon. A gigantic, motherfucking dragon. And not a friendly one, by the looks of it.

"Come on!" snapped Kaelys, stumbling backward. "You _can't_ be serious!"

It was decided. If they ever made it back to the Guild, she would _not_ take an S-Class exam again.

"I-It's huge…"

"A dragon!?"

"What's going on?"

"The black dragon of the apocalypse…" Makarov stated, appearing out of nowhere. "Could it be him?"

"… Aa," confirmed grimly Gildarts. "It's him all right."

Kaelys went to a very pale-looking Erik, who couldn't even hide his terror.

"I can hear him…" he mumbled, frozen in place. "I can hear… death…"

"Erik, snapped out of hit!" she lightly slapped his cheeks. Seeing as he wouldn't react, she turned to the Master. "Master, what do we do? I can sense terribly dark Magic… I don't think we can fight him!"

"Oi, you there!" suddenly called Natsu, startling his comrades. "You know where Igneel is right now, don't you? And Grandeeney and Metalicana too-"

"Stop it, Natsu!" Gildarts intervened, shaking the boy's shoulders. "Don't provoke him. I've told you before how my arm… no, my entire body, became like this."

"It's coming down!" warned the Rune mage.

They all backed away as the dragon landed in the base camp, just before them.

"How do we fight it?"

"No, that's not it, Natsu," Gildarts shook his head. "We should no longer be thinking about winning or losing, but focus on how to best escape from him. No, in fact, we should be wondering who'll be able to survive this encounter."

The pink-haired boy flinched. "Out of all of us here… are you trying to say that some of us will be _killed_ by this- this thing!?"

The dragon screeched.

"This is bad!" Gildarts stepped back. "All of you, get out of here! Run!"

But it was too late.

It _roared._

Acting on instincts, Kaelys lifted a shield all around her and her friends. It wouldn't be enough to stop any attack, it was too big and spread out, but it should last long enough to stop any of them from being blown away.

Dust and dirt rose around them, blinding everyone. When it finally fell back to the ground, it was only to reveal that, while the grass under their feet was still as green… all of their surroundings had been utterly destroyed by a single roar. Not a strand of grass nor a tree was left; the entire forest around them gone in a flash.

"Oi, oi, oi…" Natsu started trembling. "Is this… for real?"

"What horrible destructive power…" Gulped Levy.

"What is that thing? Just one roar from it is enough to do so much damage," Cana bit her lower lip too hard, drawing some blood.

The dragon suddenly flew above them.

"He… tche, he's admiring his work. That means it was just a _greeting_ …" spat Gildarts. "Everyone's still alive, right? Good call on the shield, Kaelys. But we don't have time to waste being afraid! We're getting the hell off this island now!"

Acnologia suddenly moved.

"He's coming back! Hurry to the ship!"

"Run! We're all going back to Fairy Tail together!" ordered Erza.

So they started running.

Kaelys picked up as many people as she could manage with her Telekinesis. However, she was still low on magic power, and so it wasn't of much use. However, as she, Wendy, Carla, Erik –who was still frozen in shock-, Bickslow and the green-haired man got ahead of the group…

They found themselves facing the dragon full on.

She dropped everyone instantly, panicking. "He's fast!"

Too fast. With a single swipe, he blasted all of them away. The teen cried out in pain as she collided harshly with a tree, passing through and hitting the one behind it. Collapsing, she found herself unable to move as a wave of dizziness washed over her.

"Shit…" Her voice slurred. "C-concussion…?"

 **'** **And** ** _that_** **would be why you love me'**

"S-Shiro!"

The pain in her skull lessened, until fully disappearing. After a few more seconds, she felt all the bruises and lacerations covering her body vanish too. Biting her lower lip, she rose back to her feet.

"Thought I'd be in peace a little longer," she remarked, half-joking and half-serious.

 **'** **With that kind of Dark Magic around? No fricking way. Though, I gotta say, this one isn't one I'd mess with. We're all going to** ** _die'_**

"No, we're not," she assured, clenching her fists as she stared at the dragon.

 **'** **This kind of evil… it's even above our level, and that's a tough record to beat. You've got no chance'**

"Well, even if we don't… we can't give up and let death come to us!" she snapped. "We have to at least try leaving this place, together!"

At that moment, the earth started shaking. Then, her eyes widened as she saw Master Makarov growing bigger and bigger, until he became big enough to hold his own against Acnologia.

"M-Master!" she gasped.

 _"_ _GO!"_ he yelled, barely restraining the monster.

She could hear protests from her friends, farther away. She started running to join them.

 _"_ _ARE YOU PLANNING ON DISOBEYING YOUR MASTER'S FINAL ORDERS, YOU SHITTY BRATS!?"_

Kaelys stiffened at his words as she finally reached her friends.

"Did he say… final…?"

"No way! We have to fight!" protested hotly Natsu. "We- o-oi! Laxus!"

The blond had grabbed him by his scarf, and was now dragging him away. He was about to fight back, when seeing the tears he tried to keep from view.

And he understood.

"No…" Kaelys felt her throat go dry as everyone started running again. "We… we can't just _leave_ him… Master is… Master is…"

An hand roughly pushed her forward, and she was well forced to move so as to avoid kissing the ground.

"Just run," ordered Erik, who finally seemed back to normal. His traits were hard, tensed. "Just run, damn it!"

She stumbled, caught herself before she could fall, and finally started running.

She didn't dare look back.

* * *

.

.

"CHARGE!"

In the end, they didn't run.

They _couldn't_ run.

And so, they found themselves charging at Acnologia with what was left of their Magic, unable to simply leave one of theirs behind.

 **'** **Ugh, I hate you guys so much… Fine! You know what, brat? Use my Magic. No consequences, no long-term effects, nothing at all! Just don't die, ya hear me? I ain't planning on disappearing just yet'**

She grinned a little at that.

"Thanks… but no thanks. I know better than to trust a Demon."

Shirokage laughed at that. **'Atta girl. But seriously, though, don't die'**

"Never planned on it."

"Oi, you guys!" then yelled Laxus, behind the group to protect his grandfather. "Muster up everything you've got! Combine it with my lightning, and we're gonna give this thing our compliments! Let's show him… what Fairy Tail is made of!"

"HAI!"

Each launched their most powerful attack. She took the opportunity to Requip her Book, before flying up to attack on the second wave, along with the other Dragon Slayers. After all, while she wasn't one, she could still use their Magic.

 _"_ _Roar of the Iron Dragon!"_

 _"_ _Roar of the Sky Dragon!"_

 _"_ _Roar of the Fire Dragon!"_

 _"_ _Roar of the Poison Dragon!"_

 _"_ _Roar of the Fire Dragon!"_

They hit him, and managed to blast him away. Acnologia collided with the cliff, then broke it down before falling into the ocean.

The five of them landed back on the ground, wary, as the rest of their friends gathered.

"Did we succeed?" hoped Gray.

"No, we didn't."

"G-Gildarts!"

"It's not using the strength it used when it fought me…" remarked the man, scowling. "It's just playing with you!"

And as if on cue, the black dragon suddenly burst out of the water, flying high and clearly mocking their efforts.

"Damn it…"

"He's still so energetic!"

"That monster…"

"So even with the strength of five Dragon Slayers… he couldn't be slayed?" Kaelys cursed under her breath. "I call _bullshit!"_

"What does it intend to do?"

"I wonder if it'll come back…"

"Don't let your guard down!"

The monster started inhaling water.

"It's a breath attack!" warned Gajeel.

"Is it planning on blasting the whole island away!?" gasped Cana.

"Do we… really have no choice?" Lucy started crying. "Are we really going to die here?"

"Is that truly what my Master is made of? And to think Corvus wouldn't shut up about you…"

All of the Fairies startled at the voice and spun around to spot the intruder. It was girl in her teens, with deep red hair that was cut above her shoulders, and a few piercings on her right ear. Her eyes were of a pale blue, and she was wearing leather jacket over a blue short.

She was scowling, too.

"Who're you?" blinked Natsu.

"The Spirit of Light, Phoenix," she greeted them flatly. The girl then crouched before Lucy, who was gaping at her. "Our Magics will have difficulties to find balance, but our goals and hearts are the same. Thus, I find myself obliged to form a contract with you. Of course, now isn't the time for that. You really got yourself in a mess, didn't you?" She sighed heavily, but straightened to face the dragon, who was still gaining more and more energy. "Anyway, I can't use my Magic right now. You know, since you didn't summon me and all. However, I can help you guys create a defensive spell that ought to be strong enough to ward off the next attack. You guys up to it?"

"H-hai!" the Celestial mage instantly agreed, rubbing her eyes to erase the last traces of tears. "What do we have to do?"

"Form a circle. Hold your hands together."

After a moment of hesitation, they all obeyed. As they were now, they truly couldn't do anything else. Kaelys found herself holding Lucy and Macbeth, while the blonde held Erik's, who was holding Kinana's, etc, etc. Soon enough, all of the wizards were linked together, and all could already feel their Magics thrumming in the palms of their hands.

"Okay. Now, you guys focus all of your Magic power through the bond you're forming," instructed Phoenix. She then started glowing. "That's all I can do. Hope you guys don't die. And don't forget this: _believe_."

On which she was gone, though not many noticed, too focused on the task at hands. As they gathered more and more of their Magic, the air shifted.

The dragon was about to attack.

"Let's all go home together, brats!" suddenly exclaimed Makarov. He was crying. "Ya hear me? We're all going back!"

"Right!"

"We won't give up!"

"TO FAIRY TAIL!"

Light fell upon them.

Darkness took over.

And everything simply vanished.

* * *

 **Not much to say on this chapter. It was short, but I hope you liked it anyway. Don't forget to review!**


	33. Welcome Back, Even Though Late

**Okay, fair warning: this is an extremely short chapter. However, be assured that the next ones will be much more packed! Look at this one like some sort of transition chapter, I guess.**

 **Enjoy!**

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There was screaming.

Lots of it.

"Ugh… what's going on…?"

Kaelys cracked an eye open. Above her head, the sun was shining brightly. She frowned a little, unable to remember what exactly had happened.

 **'** **Quick resume: S-Class exam, Grimoire Heart, Hades, Acnologia. Ringing any bell?'**

"Fuck!" She sprung into a sitting position, coughing out some dirt as she did so. "I… how long… what…?"

"KAELYS!"

She suddenly found herself suffocating under numerous, wriggling weights. Gasping for air, she somehow managed to escape the deadly grasps, and shot a terrified look at the people who had just tackled her. They seemed familiar, but…

"Who're you, guys?" she blinked, confused.

They all slumped in defeat at that, but soon came back to normal.

"I'm Jet!"

"And I'm Droy!"

"Oh, Levy's friends," she recalled. Then, she looked at the other two. "And you guys…"

"Max!"

"Warren!"

"No idea who you guys are."

They fell anime style, but she ignored them as her eyes fell on two much easier to remember.

"Alzack! Bisca!" She grinned at them.

While the other four muttered under their breaths about how she remembered those two and not them, the snipers quickly went to her. Bisca hugged her tightly, while Alzack patted her head with a smile.

"We were so worried!" the green-haired woman admitted, obviously still under some sort of shock. "What _happened_ to you guys?"

"We were attacked by Grimoire Heart," she answered, not fighting the embrace. It felt good to see her friends after believing they were all going to die on the island, after all. "We kicked their asses, of course, but then that Acnologia dragon dropped by and tried to kill us. Damn, really thought we… would…" She trailed off, suddenly realizing something. "Wait, where's everyone?"

"Oh, Lys! You awake too?"

Bisca let her go as Natsu and Happy joined them.

"You okay?" asked the pink-haired boy.

"Peachy. You guys alright?" she inquired.

"Yeah, we're fine. Have you seen the others?"

"They're all here."

All mages present stiffened at the new voice, and looked up. A little girl, with long blond hair and gentle eyes was floating above the ground, smiling a little.

"Who're you?"

"I am Mavis. The First Master of Fairy Tail, Mavis Vermillion."

…

…

…

 _"WHAT!?"_

* * *

.

.

"At the time, I took the bond between you and the faith you have in one another and converted it all into magic power. With the help of Phoenix, you managed to redirect your feelings, which activated Fairy Sphere, one of the Three Great Fairy Magics. It's absolute Defense Magic that protects the Guild against all evil. However, everyone was sealed away in a frozen state… and it took seven years to be dispelled."

At the First Master's explanation, Kaelys started to feel a little dizzy.

"Seven years…?" she mumbled, looking down. "We've been gone… for seven years?"

"To think the First Master protected us…" Makarov was in awe.

"No, I am merely an astral body. It was all I could do to transform everyone's power into Magic. Unwavering faith and a strong bond between you will even win a miracle over to your side. Fairy Tail has become a fine Guild, hasn't it, Third Master?"

And she disappeared.

After a few moments of tensed silence, the purple-eyed teen turned to everyone. "Guys… I think it's _really_ time we got home, now. We're kind of late."

At that, they could only laugh.

Yeah, it was time to go home.

* * *

.

.

Magnolia hadn't change.

Fairy Tail had, though.

After having explained what exactly had happened on Tenroujima, those who had come searching for them explained what had happened during the seven years they had been gone. Apparently, Fairy Tail had lost its shine ever since all of its strongest members left, and less and less missions came in every day. They had also lost their Guildhall to some thugs, who were unfortunately stronger than them.

They reached the Guild after a while. It was out of the city, near the woods, and they had had to walk through Magnolia to reach it. Their sudden reappearance had left quite the impression upon the citizens, but they didn't care about that for now.

Those thugs that had been controlling Fairy Tail for the passed few years had apparently come back, and were about to hurt their friends.

They wouldn't let that happen again.

Natsu kicked away their leader. Literally. As soon as it was done, the rest of the thugs were easily taken care of. In a matter of seconds, the scum had been cleared out, and they found themselves facing their dumbstruck friends.

"We're back!" greeted Natsu with his trademark grin.

"Sorry it took us so long!" added Happy cheerfully.

There was a moment of stillness.

Then, chaos ensued.

But hey, it was Fairy Tail. Chaos was in the contract.

* * *

They had celebrated their return the whole day and the whole night. Singing, dancing, drinking… everyone was too excited and happy to try and get some rest. Kaelys had passed some time catching up with everyone, happy that this whole mess was finally over with. Being back home meant much more to her than she could ever have guessed, and seeing everyone again brought a certain peace of mind.

She was home.

She was safe.

Everyone was.

Once her previous excitement died down, though, she found herself falling asleep on Macbeth's shoulder, while the boy chatted quietly with Laki and Max.

She woke up when the Reflector mage shook her.

"What…?" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes.

"Look."

A little annoyed at being woken up like that –she wanted her nap, damn it!- she however obeyed. At first confused as to what her wanted her to see, her eyes then fell on two familiar figures sitting at the bar and talking with Erik and Kinana.

She stared for moment, unable to move.

Then, without a warning, she jumped from her seat, almost slamming Macbeth into the wall while she was at it. Running as fast as she could, she then propelled herself onto the nearest figure.

"RACER!"

"Gah!"

The both of them fell on the floor with a 'THUD'. Erik snickered as the blond man rubbed the back of his head.

"Not fast enough," the teen teased him a little.

"What the- Truth?" Her ex-guildmate finally recognized her.

"I'm so glad to see you!" she grinned, hugging him tightly.

"… you changed a lot. It's good to see you so open, though," he grinned back, ruffling her hair. "Been up to anything interesting recently?"

"God, you wouldn't believe half of it," she rolled her eyes, getting up. She extended her hand to him. "Up you go- _HOTEYE!"_

She instantly dropped the blond speedster, who fell back on the floor once again, and jumped into the arms of the bigger man, who laughed when catching her.

"Hello, Truth. I see you have discovered… the power of love~! Nothing can beat love!"

Erik snorted at that, and the Thief mage shot him a pointed look. "We miraculously survived the attack of the dragon of the apocalypse thanks to the power of friendship. I think you should reconsider your opinion."

"… fair enough," he sweatdropped.

They were joined by Macbeth as Racer got back to his feet, grumbling a little about being so easily forgotten.

"So, you guys joined another Guild, right? What are you doing here?" she then wondered.

"Lamia Scale heard of your return, and so we had to come and see for ourselves," answered the Earth wizard. He patted her head. "When we heard of your disappearance, we searched for a long time… but found nothing. We had given up, to be honest."

"Understandable," shrugged the girl, finally letting him go. She landed back on her feet, before sitting on the counter. "Oh, by the way, we don't use our codenames anymore. I'm back to Kaelys."

"My real name's Sawyer."

"And I, Richard."

"That's cool! So, any fun being in Lamia Scale?"

* * *

.

.

"It feels like it's been forever since we've been back to the old house!"

"Honestly, I wouldn't be so cheerful about that," warned Erik.

"What? Why?"

"One word: _rent."_

The other three mages stiffened at that. In their haste, they hadn't thought about the seven years that had passed; seven years of missed rent.

"We'll have to find another place, won't we?" cringed Kaelys.

"Everyone's in the same boat, too," remarked quietly Macbeth. "We'll have to take many missions if we want to be able to pay."

Lucy slumped in defeat. "And here I thought we'd be able to sleep in our beds tonight."

They all stopped walking after a few more minutes. What was the point in going home right now? They wouldn't be able to get in unless they had something to pay, so they could as well win some more time and relax a little.

"It was fun to see Richard and Sawyer again," then said Kaelys, eye lingering on the canal. "Surprised they didn't ask about my eye, though."

"I told them your Magic went haywire," shrugged Erik. "No point in spreading the news about your little demonic friend."

"He's _not_ my friend."

"Everything alright, Lucy?"

At Macbeth's inquiry, the two bickering mages reported their attention on the blonde. She seemed startled by the Reflector mage's sudden question, but some sort of sorrow was evident in her eyes.

"Well, everyone seemed surprised at hearing about Gildarts and Cana, right?" she started.

"Didn't see that one coming," Kaelys nodded, wondering where Lucy was going with that.

"I was surprised," the Reflector mage simply replied.

"I knew," corrected Erik. "But that doesn't say why you're so sad all of sudden."

"It's just… I thought about it a lot, and I realized… I haven't been in touch with my father for seven years. He's probably worried about me…" The Celestial mage looked down.

"Why don't you go see him, then?" proposed Kaelys. "You know where to find him, right? Then nothing's stopping you."

"Last I've heard, he was in Acalypha… Yeah… it's just a little weird, but… I think that's the first time I ever felt like I actually wanted to see him," admitted the older girl.

"Then let's go," shrugged the purple-eyed girl.

"W-what?"

Lucy gaped at the three. Macbeth had his arms crossed behind his head, eyes closed as he seemed to enjoy the last few rays of sun. Erik had his hands in his pockets, a bored look on his face. And Kaelys was simply smiling at her.

"You said you wanted to see him, right? Then let's go," repeated the teen. She extended her hand to the blonde. "We should have enough to take the train, and we'll get there in the morning."

She stared at the Thief mage for another second, before grabbing her hand with a smile of her own. "Right!"

* * *

"Are you sure-"

 _"_ _I don't have motion sickness, damn it!"_

"…"

"You totally do."

 _"_ _Shut- ugh… shut up!"_

* * *

.

.

"A Merchant Guild, uh?" mused Macbeth as they finally reached their destination.

" _Love &Lucky…" _read Kaelys. "Hey, isn't that from the story you told me about? You know, the one about how you got your name?"

"Yeah, it is," Lucy smiled a little, somewhat happy the teen remembered such an insignificant story of hers. "Anyway, you guys don't have to come in if you don't want to. I should be out in a few minutes."

"I'll come! I wanna meet your dad," the teen replied, grabbing her hand.

"We'll wait outside," answered Erik.

"What about Mac- nevermind."

Macbeth was already fast asleep against the wall. With a small smile, the two girls then headed inside, and instantly made their way to the counter.

"Excuse me," Lucy called to the lady behind the desk. "I'm looking for Jude Heartfilia… he's a member of this Guild, isn't he?"

"Ah…" the woman tensed a little. "Might you be Jude-san's daughter?"

"Yes!"

"O-oh…"

The lady looked away, making Kaelys frown.

"What is it? Has he quit the Guild?" she inquired.

"A-ano… it pains me to have to tell you this, but… Jude-san passed away a month ago. I'm… truly sorry for your loss."

It felt as if the world suddenly crashed down on the blonde's shoulders.

* * *

None of the group uttered a word after they left the Merchant Guild. Lucy stopped to buy some flowers, and they headed to the cemetery where Jude Heartfilia had been buried. Erik had been to one to ask for its location while Kaelys simply led Lucy away.

The blonde was in shock. She was hurting, but she couldn't even cry.

As they left the cemetery in a morbid silence, Kaelys lowered her eyes on the road.

Was that how one loosing a precious person dealt with grief? Was that how all those loved by their peers were treated once they were gone? She couldn't say if, had it come to it, she would have been able to do the same for her mother.

She sure hoped she would never have to go through this for her friends, though.

"My old man stinks to high heaven and he never shuts up!"

"My dad bugs the hell out of me, too!"

It was two girls, screeching and laughing like idiots.

"Why does he have to be so annoying?"

"Totally, right? I wish he'd just hurry up and die already!"

The earth suddenly cracked, making everyone stop in their tracks. Heavy silence followed as the two girls noticed Kaelys. She was frozen in place, trembling.

"I'd suggest for you to shut up," she spat, truly angry. She then snapped her eyes at them, and they gasped as horror filled their gazes. "Or I'll _make you."_

"F-freak!"

"Fricking psycho!"

The two of them ran away without another look back.

As soon as they were out of sight, the teen relaxed.

"Maybe I should scare them too," proposed Macbeth, already weaving an illusion.

"Don't." The three ex-members of Oración Seis blinked at that, turning to Lucy. She too had stopped walking. "Sorry. For making you guys fuss over me."

"Are… you okay, Lucy?"

"Yeah. I just wasn't prepared… to hear about my dad…" She finally turned to them, and offered a somewhat bitter smile. "Four months ago… no, seven years have passed. The last time I saw my father was in Acalypha. I never really loved him, even when I was a kid. That whole mess with Phantom Lord made it even worse… But, after what happened in Acalypha, I had the feeling that my relationship with my father could change." A small, unhappy laughed escaped her lips. "It's just like him to loose his health from working too hard. I don't understand it… I'm sad. And… kind of lonely… Yet the tears just won't come. In the end, I guess I really didn't have feelings for him…"

"I think it's the contrary," answered softly Kaelys, taking her hand. "You're feeling so much you can't even express it."

"Right." At that, she offered another smile. It was smaller, but much more genuine. "You know, it's weird, but… I really am fine. Thanks, you guys."

Kaelys shot an unsure look at Erik, who simply nodded. Whatever was happening in Lucy's head, she was telling the truth.

In only answer, the teen tightened her grip on the older girl's hand.

* * *

.

.

They were back to Magnolia the next day. Lucy had asked to be left alone, and so the three of them returned home on their own. As they finally reached the house, though, Erik stopped before the door.

"You know, guys… the five years of probation are up," he casually announced.

"W-what?"

He glanced at her. "We were supposed to join Fairy Tail for five years. After what, the deal was for us to be freed. We've stopped being criminals two years ago. And so, officially…"

"We no longer are a part of Fairy Tail," completed Macbeth with a small sigh.

"That's stupid. We joined the Guild because it was the deal with the Magic Council, but it doesn't mean we never were a part of it," protested the teen, growing more and more anxious. "And now… now, you're saying you want to leave?"

"It's not that we _want_ to, Kae," answered the Reflector mage. "But now, it's up to Master Makarov to decide. He could very well choose to send us on our merry way now that our probation is up."

"But… but…"

"You brats want to stay, don't you?"

"Shit!"

They turned around to find none other than the Master. He was sporting a serious expression, hands behind his back and brows furrowed.

"Master…" Kaelys looked down, biting her lower lip.

"Probation or not, you joined Fairy Tail," he stated. He pointed at their guildmarks. "You think those were just a loan? You fought with us. Laughed with us. Cried with us. You discovered your strengths and your weaknesses, have grown beyond even what I ever thought possible." He sighed. "I must admit, when Lucy first came to me with this project, I was wary. However, today, I can proudly assure that I am happy I accepted you. And, as of now, the choice of staying, or leaving, is yours to make. No one can make that decision for you."

"I'm staying!" Kaelys didn't hesitate, even for a second. "I… I've got too much to loose to simply leave it at that."

Macbeth stifled a yawn. "Finding another Guild would be a drag. Guess I'm staying too."

"Tche…" Erik grunted, scratching the back of his head in mild annoyance. "Who knows what trouble you guys will get into if I'm not around? I can't just up and leave like that."

At that, the Master smiled, finally relaxing.

"Then, I'll see you at the Guild tomorrow. Goodnight!"

"'Night!"

As he left, though, Erik facepalmed.

"God… what have I just agreed to?" he groaned.

Kaelys simply laughed, and Macbeth shook his head with a small smile. The insanity of Fairy Tail had gotten to them after all.

* * *

.

.

When Lucy finally got home, it was only to find her three friends sleeping on the couch. Macbeth and Kaelys were both using Erik as a pillow, the two of them snoring lightly, and the sight made her smile despite all.

Erik cracked an eye open, startling her.

"We did most of the cleaning already," he said, low enough so as not to wake the other two. "We found some things in your room. You should go take a look."

"R-right," she nodded, putting down her bag. "By the way, I just thought about it, but-"

"We're staying. Now go see, and get some rest, Sunshine," he yawned. "We all need it."

She gaped at him for a moment, before smiling a little, and heading for her room. As she got there, she found seven wrapped boxes on the bed. Unsure of what to make of it, she checked the little messages tied to it.

 _Happy birthday, Lucy!_

"D-dad…?"

Her heart suddenly felt very heavy, as understanding slowly dawned on her. She quickly found the most recent gift, one that had been sent not two days earlier.

* * *

Back in the living room, Erik simply closed his eyes as he heard Lucy, who started crying over the letter from her father. After a few minutes, her sobs quieted down, and she left her room.

The Celestial mage hesitated at the door, and he sighed.

"Just come on and shut up, Sunshine," he gestured for the small space left on the couch. "I wanna sleep too, you know?"

And through the tears that were still streaming down her face, she smiled at him.

Barely a minute later, the two of them were asleep too.

* * *

 **So, everyone's back, and things are getting better. Look forward to the next chapter, it's going to be a bumpy road but I'm sure you'll enjoy the drama and overly-complicated schemes. It's Fairy Tail, after all!**

 **And don't forget to review, pretty please!**


	34. Going Solo PART ONE

**Alright, here's a rather long chapter to make up for the last one! Thanks to those who reviewed or favorited my story, it really means a lot to me!**

 **Enjoy!**

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"4,000,000 jewels?" blinked Kaelys.

The request they were looking over had gained their attention thanks to the pay, but...

"Seems an awful lot for a mere fugitive," Macbeth frowned a little.

"Easy money is still money," shrugged Erik. "Plus, we often got those kind of missions back with Oración Seis. Rich people like to throw money around for the sake of it. Paying a lot shows that you have a fortune, and that you're important."

At that, Lucy snorted. "Ain't that the truth."

"Hey, you guys!"

The four of them turned from the request board to see Macao approaching.

"I heard that that Velveno guy will try to infiltrate the Balsamico family's magical ball."

"Magical ball?" echoed Kaelys, curious.

"It's a ball that's held once every seven years, and only wizards can attend," answered Wakaba from his table just next to them. "I believe it's next Saturday."

"Then let's go, capture the guy and get our money," shrugged Erik, already walking away. "Easy-peasy, it's-"

"Wait!" He stiffened at Lucy's call. "If we're going to a ball, you guys need to know how to dance! Do you know how?"

Kaelys stared at her for a moment, as Macbeth and Erik started sweating.

"Lucy-nee, we're ex-criminals," she deadpanned. "We didn't exactly have the time for _dancing._ The only one who would know a little about it would… be… Angel..." The teen's eyes widened. "Oh my gosh, I can't believe I forgot about her!" She started muttering under her breath. "She must have been so worried, what was I thinking? And we haven't even seen each other since Oración Seis… What Guild did she join? Not Lamia Scale, else she would have come with Sawyer and Richard… Wait, wasn't it the one with all of the creepy guys? The perfume one? I think-"

"Loudmouth, _breath."_

She inhaled deeply, calming down a little. Then, she offered a sheepish smile.

"Sorry about that. But still…"

"You want to see her?" Erik easily guessed.

"Yeah…"

"Well, technically, you're allowed to come and go as you please now," Macao then pointed out with a shrug. "You're no longer considered a criminal, so you don't have to be accompanied by a mage of the Guild any longer. Why don't you pay Blue Pegasus a visit?"

"I can do that?" she gasped.

"Sure. Just warn the Master… oh, wait! _I'm_ the Master!" On which he started giggling like a schoolgirl in love.

The rest of the wizards sweatdropped a little, before reporting their attention on the matter at hand.

"We need the money from this mission, though," Lucy then remarked, thoughtful. "The last gift from… my father, reimbursed our seven years of missed rent, but we still have to get food, clothes and even some more furniture."

"Well, didn't he say I could go alone?" the teen pointed out, jabbing a thumb at the new Master. "You guys can handle the mission, and I'll go to their Guild myself. It mustn't be that far, right?"

"Are you sure you can handle it, though?" the blonde replied, kind of worried. "If you get in trouble, or worse, if you get another attack-"

"I'm fifteen years old, an ex-member of one of the three strongest Dark Guilds of Fiore, a current member of the strongest Guild, and I've even got a Demon to save my sorry ass," she rolled her eyes. "I think I can survive one trip on my own."

 **'** **Says the one who can't even sleep without someone around'**

"Shut up."

The other three exchanged a glance, obviously unsure.

"I could-"

"No," Kaelys cut Macbeth off. She glared a little, now kind of insulted. "Look, I know I'm not the sanest person of the bunch, alright? I know I'm messed up. You think I didn't hear you guys talking, back on Tenroujima?"

::

 _"_ _She's already broken beyond repair at that point, and we need to fix the pieces before she fully falls apart, somehow. And while her attacks are getting worst, she still has grown a lot. If we talk about this, she might understand."_

 _"_ _She's terrified of that damned place still," growled lowly Erik. He shook his head. "I can hear her nightmares, some nights. And… yeah, they've gotten worst since we got back, but we can't just sick a shrink on her. She'll end up believing we're abandoning her or some bullshit along those lines."_

 _"_ _So what, then? What do we do?"_

 _"_ _I… I don't know, Beth. I honestly don't know."_

 _After what, they fell silent._

::

"Yeah, I heard that," she confirmed as both men turned white. She sighed, lowering her eyes. The crack in the floor, near her foot seemed very interesting, all of sudden. "And I… I know that you're right, too. Despite everything, though, I still can't… I can't go see someone, or- or go to some hospital or anything like that. I just… I can't go through all of this again."

"Kae-"

"But I can't keep going like that either!" the girl snapped, growing frustrated. "I can't- I can't keep ignoring everything as if it wasn't happening! My panic attacks, my anxiety, the memories… They're getting worse, I know that. We all do. And while I managed to control it somehow back on Tenroujima, I was fighting for control every damned second of it and almost ended up loosing it _again._ I can't… I can't keep this up any longer."

She took a deep breath to calm herself down. She could tell their conversation was gaining attention, something she wasn't particularly fond of, but she'd deal with it later.

"I've let you guys deal with my situation for long enough. You're all trying to help, but how can I get any better if I don't try to help myself?" Kaelys was tired of this whole mess. She just wanted things to change, to get better. She knew she would never truly heal from everything, but she could still try to make the wounds scar. However, it'd take time, and patience, and loads of efforts.

She was ready to try, though.

"We've missed _seven years of our lives_ in the blink of an eye, and it made me realize… it made me realize that time isn't something we can just waste away. If I want things to change, I can't just wait for it to happen with my arms crossed over my chest. I need to _work_ for it, too. I need to solve all of this. It'll take months, maybe even years, but I'm ready to try. Learn. Find out what's wrong. Understand what'll work, and what won't. But for that… for that to work, I'll need to do a little more on my own, first." At that, she finally dared to look back at them. "So please… please, let me try."

She waited for their answer, tensed. She knew they were worried, hell, they had every right to be. However, she just… couldn't sit on her ass and wait for things to go her way any longer.

Not with how much there was to gain.

Not with how much there was to loose.

"You seem to have made up your mind anyway." Erik was the first to give in. He clicked his tongue in annoyance, obviously not happy about this. Even in Oración Seis, she never went on solo missions. They knew better than to leave her alone. "But I swear to God, brat, you better not get into any trouble. If I find out you've wrecked a town, or fought a monster, or anything of the sort…"

"You'll try to kick my ass but fail miserably?" she couldn't help but tease him.

"Damn Loudmouth…"

"Take a Lacrima with you, then," Macbeth simply said, offering her his own. "If anything comes up, just call one of us, or anyone in the Guild."

"Sure thing." She instantly put it in one of her numerous pockets.

Lucy then smiled softly, and hugged her. "I'm proud of you, Kae. I… I'll worry, but I'm proud that you're acting on it. You might not realize it, but you're already getting better. It's just a matter of time, alright?"

"I know. Thanks, Lucy-nee, Beth. And jerk-face too, I guess."

Erik whacked her behind the head at that, and she simply laughed. After a few more seconds of enjoying the warm embrace of the blonde, she then pulled away.

"I'll go pack my bag. You guys enjoy your dancing lessons~"

This time, the Poison Dragon Slayer cursed loudly. Lucy had practically forgotten about that tidbit of information, but the damn brat just _had_ to make her remember!

Obviously aware of his despair, and clearly enjoying his misery, said brat simply winked tauntingly at him before leaving the Guildhall.

* * *

.

.

"You sure you wanna go alone?"

"Corvus!"

The teen happily hugged the Spirit. She hadn't seen him since their training sessions before the S-Class exam, saved for that brief moment during the battle with Acnologia.

He hugged back, but he wasn't smiling. "You don't have to, you know? I could come with you, or-"

"Corvus, you wouldn't be able to leave Magnolia," she rolled her eyes, pulling away to get back to her packing. "You know, since Lucy's core is what allows you to come here in the first place?"

"I _know_ that! But still, it'll be dangerous! What if you end up surrounded by bandits? Or if you fall into a trap? Or that you get yourself caught by some monsters? You might get in trouble, or hurt, or even worst! You can't trust that Demon to save you, and you'll have no one to watch your back either! Do you even know how many mages died on solo missions? It's super-duper dangerous! What if you have another attack, or you loose control and end up hurting people, or-"

"Corvus."

"What!?"

"Shut up."

He gaped at her for a second, before snapping his mouth shut. Nodding in approval, the girl then quickly finished packing and swung the bag over her shoulder, before finally reporting her attention on the Crow.

He was looking down, an air of gloom floating around him.

"Corvus… are you sulking?"

"Am not!"

She laughed at that, and his scowl finally shifted into a half-smile. "Alright, alright.. maybe a little. Still… be careful, alright?"

"I will. What's the worst that could happen anyway?"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"I just jinxed myself, didn't I?"

"Pretty sure you did. Just… watch out for yourself. Try not to cause _too much_ chaos while you're out there, either. The King himself knows asking you not to cause any would be demanding the impossible."

She swatted his arm at that. This time, he was the one laughing. After a few seconds, he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly. She lingered in his embrace for a moment, noticing without much of a thought how she couldn't hear his heart beating.

He was still warm, though, and that was enough for her.

"How about you walk me back to the Guild?" she then proposed as he let her go. "This way, you could tell Lucy not to forget about your sister. Phoenix, right? She helped us out a great deal back on Tenroujima. You must be happy to see her again, right?"

Instantly, his ruby eyes started sparkling with excitement, and the Thief mage briefly wondered what she had just gotten herself into.

* * *

.

.

"- and her eyes! I didn't remember them to be of such a deep blue, so cold and so strong, yet so warm and loving! They match her heart of gold, and…"

Corvus had been ranting about his adored twin for pretty much the whole seventeen minutes it took them to reach the Guild.

Kaelys was pretty sure she knew more about the Spirit of Light than she'd ever wanted to know about anyone in general.

"- so you can understand that under all of her attitude hides a soul of- wait, what?"

As the Crow Spirit _finally_ shut up about his sister, Kaelys stopped walking. She too was extremely confused at the sight that greeted the both of them.

"… did we miss something?" she whispered, almost afraid that, if someone heard them, then they would be forcefully brought into the madness.

Before them were pretty much all the members of the Guild, who were dancing to a music that seem to come out from nowhere, and most of them obviously didn't understand what they were doing themselves. She easily spotted her friends, too: Lucy was paired with Erik, who kept stepping on her feet –after the third time, she easily guessed he did it to rile up the blonde-, and Macbeth was with Bickslow, of all people. Natsu was with Lisanna, who laughed as he tried to match her pace, Gray was with a literally melting Juvia, and even Gajeel and Levy were dancing together.

"… I honestly have no idea what's happening," he admitted, his tone as low as hers.

"Social dancing! Corvus, be my partner!"

"What!?"

Before any of the teens could react, Erza had already grabbed the Spirit by the wrist and dragged him in the middle of it. Kaelys muffled a snort as the red-haired Knight started making the poor boy spin so fast her eyes couldn't follow. Soon enough, she could no longer hold it in, and started to laugh.

By the time it was over, she was holding her stomach with a tear running down her face. Corvus's face had been simply precious, and she hadn't been able to _not_ enjoy his predicament.

"What?" He finally escaped Erza, coming back to her. He was swaying on his feet, obviously dizzy. "Something funny?"

"N-no…" Her new laughing fit betrayed her true thoughts on the matter.

He glared, before a devilish smirk suddenly stretched on his lips. He grabbed her wrist, and she understood a second too late what he planned to do.

"No, wait, Corvus! Don't-"

Next thing she knew, the both of them were in the middle of the dancing floor. He started leading her through the choreography and, having no idea of what to do, she simply followed his movements. Her own were stiff and kind of awkward but, after a while, she finally gained enough confidence to look away from her feet to glare at the way-too-smug Crow.

"Jerk."

"Who was the one laughing?"

She blushed a little at that. Now that herself was dancing, she understood better what he must have felt moments earlier.

Corvus simply chuckled at the sudden red on her face. Then, the music stopped, signaling the end of this whole mess. Taking a step back, the Spirit grinned and grabbed her hand, before bowing and lightly kissing her knuckles.

"See ya around, Kae~hime."

"D-don't call me that!"

But he was already gone in a burst of sparkles and smoke. She felt the blood rush to her cheeks, but ignored it as she quickly made her way to Lucy, who was apparently scolding Erik. The man had his arms crossed behind his head, his eyes closed in a bored expression, but she easily noticed the twitch in his lips at each of Lucy's remarks and insults.

"He's enjoying this way too much," she sweatdropped a little. Then, she shook her head and went to join them. "Guys!"

The Celestial mage instantly dropped the matter to beam at her. "Kae! How long have you been here for?"

"Long enough to enjoy the show," snorted the teen. "How the hell did you manage to rope all of the Guild into this anyway?"

"Don't even ask. I'm not sure of the answer myself. Anyway, you ready to go?"

"Yup!" The girl gestured to the bag still hanging to her shoulder. "I've taken what was left of my money, too. I was thinking of taking a small job while I was at it. Nothing serious, of course. Maybe just some book deciphering, or something."

"That's a good idea," agreed the Celestial with a soft smile. "Don't forget to have Mira approve it, though."

"I won't. I'll call you guys when I reach the Guild, alright?"

"You do that. Be careful!"

"I _know!"_

The teen pouted a little, making Lucy chuckle. Then, she quickly hugged the one she considered an older sister, before running towards the Guildhall to grab a mission. As she opened the door, though, she stopped in her tracks.

"Lucy-nee! Don't forget to contract with Phoenix!"

At that, the blonde blinked, before offering a sheepish grin. "Right, I won't."

With a nod, the teen then disappeared inside.

Macbeth joined them a few seconds later.

"Why did you ask if she's been here for long?" he wondered, mildly curious. "You're the first one who saw her."

"She was already embarrassed," shrugged the Celestial mage. Then, she squealed. "Besides, weren't the two of them just _so_ cute?"

"Women and their matchmaking schemes…" muttered Erik. "I swear I heard that demon barmaid mumbling about 'black-haired, purple-eyed babies'. Creep…"

"Be _nice!_ And talking about nice… _why did you keep stepping on my feet!?"_

Erik cringed a little. She was too damn loud for her own good.

Still, though…

 _Completely worth it._

* * *

"Mira? I wanna take that mission, if it's alright."

"Mission? Sure, just let me take a look."

The girl handed over the request, and the white-haired woman quickly checked it over. It was a rather easy mission, where she simply had to decipher a code and open a magical safe. The reward was rather high but, then again, it was offered by a rich family.

And, as Erik so well said it before: rich people liked to throw money for the sake of it.

"You're going alone, right?" The barmaid smiled, handing it back to the girl. "Your first solo mission?"

"Aa. I don't really know when I'll be back, since I'll go visit Blue Pegasus too, but I know how it works," replied the Thief mage, carefully tucking the paper in her bag. "Do I have a time limit or something?"

"Well, since you're no longer on probation, you're just like any wizard of Fairy Tail," shrugged Mirajane. "So really, you can take as much time as you need."

"That's cool. I'll see you around, then!"

"Good luck!"

Waving cheerfully, Kaelys wasted no more time and left the Guild. As the door closed behind her, a fresh breeze greeted her. She took a moment to breath it in, before excitement started winning over her mild anxiety.

It felt good. It felt strange.

It felt like going on an adventure.

No longer bothering with patience, the teen started running.

* * *

.

.

"This day is really great, isn't it?"

 **'** **You're really cheerful today. Why's that?'**

"I have no idea, really. It just feels… liberating. I don't have to run away, don't have to hide, don't have to fear _anything!_ I love my friends, but their worries often rub off on me so, right now, it's like some sort of weight has been lifted off my chest…"

She smiled a little at the thought. She truly felt light on her feet.

 **'** **Ah, yes, truly a wonderful day. The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, babies are dying-'**

"What is _wrong_ with you!?"

 **'** **What?'**

She shook her head, exasperated at the Demon's callousness. He really was an ass when he wanted to be.

"You have yet to apologize for what happened back on Tenroujima," she then recalled, somewhat bitter at the memory.

 **'** **Puh-lease, I saw my chance so I took it. No harm done, right? Plus, I warned you before: I'm taking over this damn body, whether you like it or not. And seriously, as if I'd actually apologize to someone! Ah!'**

"Fair enough, I guess. Though it won't be as easy next time around. The more time passes, and the more I find myself able to withstand your influence," she informed, gaining back some cheer at that. "Soon enough, you'll just be an annoying voice in the back of my head."

 **'** **Of course, you're used to those, aren't you?'**

"Don't you even _dare_ bring them up."

 **'** **Sheesh, still salty 'bout that? Plus, you're already punishing me. Isn't that why you put that damn eyepatch on again?'**

"I-"

The door of her compartment suddenly opened. She tensed, her hand already closing around the hilt of her knife. After a few seconds, though, no one came in.

"What…"

"C-can you help Fro…?"

She blinked, startled, and looked down. On the floor, staring up at her, was a really weird animal. Cat? Frog? After a few seconds of stunned silence, she realized it looked a lot like an Exceed. Relaxing, she gently picked it up and placed it on the seat next to her.

"Are you lost?"

"F-Fro is…" He seemed about to cry.

"That's okay, don't worry!" she instantly assured. Dealing with a cat-frog bawling his eyes out was _not_ something she was used to deal with. "Do you have some friends with you? Maybe we could look for them."

"R-really?" He sniffed, rubbing his eyes. "You'll help Fro?"

"Sure! I don't have better to do anyway… My name is Kaelys. Nice to meet you!"

"Fro is Frosch, but you can call Fro Fro!"

 **'** **Annoying pest'**

She simply laughed, finding him cute. She then picked him up again, and jumped on her feet, heading out to start searching for his friends.

"So, who are your friends?"

"Fro's friends are Rogue and Lector! And Sting too, Fro guesses… They're really, really strong!"

"Is that so? That's cool. Are they wizards?"

"Yup! Well, just Rogue and Sting. Lector is a cat, like Fro!"

"I see. Can you tell me what they look like?"

They spent the next few minutes chatting while looking for his companions. She didn't exactly get much information about his friends, since the little Exceed kept gushing about them being strong and about being Tigers –whatever that meant-, but she still had a fun time.

Talking with Fro and actually doing something helped her relax somehow. Because, no matter how happy she felt about going off on her own, she still found it difficult to fight back her paranoia. So, helping him out allowed her to focus on something else.

She opened another compartment, only to find a blond man sleeping against the window. She was about to close it when something started hitting her leg. Curious, she looked down, only to see another Exceed hitting her with all of his might.

"Let go of Frosch, you kidnapper!"

She raised an eyebrow, glancing at the cat in her arms. "Friend of yours?"

"Hmm! That's Lector!" he cheered. "And Sting! We found them!"

"That's good to hear." On which she put him down. Instantly, the cat she now recognized as Lector stepped in between the two.

"What do you want with Frosch?"

"Nothing, I simply helped him find you guys," she answered, crouching. She then grinned, patting his head. "I'm glad he's got such a good friend looking out for him, though. Keep it up, alright?"

Lector gaped at her, and she straightened. The blond was still sleeping, and she was mildly surprised he hadn't woken up yet. With a shrug, she then walked out.

"Wait! Is Lys not staying with Fro?" pouted a little the Exceed.

"I'm sorry, but I have to leave soon. I'll see you around, though. I promise." She smiled at him. "Be careful not to get lost again."

"Fro will try! Bye-bye!"

She waved, before sliding the door close. She then headed back to her compartment. She had a bounce in her step, simply happy she had managed to help out the cutie.

 **'** **You should have thrown it out the window, and see if it could fly'**

"Dude… you have _issues."_

* * *

.

.

Kaelys checked the address in her hands one more time to make sure. Then, she knocked at the door, and waited. The gigantic mansion was intimidating, but it seemed welcoming enough.

A few moments later, a maid answered.

"I'm with Fairy Tail," the teen instantly presented herself. "I took the job offered by Lord Tremedia?"

"I'll take you to him."

The woman simply gestured for her to follow inside, face blank and traits somewhat tired. Biting her lower lip, Kaelys decided not to ask. After all, looking after the whole mansion must take a lot of work, so no wonder the woman must be tired.

They headed to the second floor, before walking for five minutes. Then, they stopped before two doors, and the maid knocked.

"Lord Tremedia, a wizard of Fairy Tail has come in answer to the request."

"Let them in."

The maid opened the door, and gestured for Kaelys go in. Hesitating for a second, the teen then shook her head and headed inside. The door closed instantly, and her heart squeezed painfully, waiting for the lock to be heard.

The familiar noise never came.

"So, you're a mage of Fairy Tail, right?"

She jumped a the voice, and quickly bowed. "H-hai. My name is Kaelys. I am the one who took the request."

"Glad to hear it. You look a bit young, but I'm sure you're competent enough if you were sent here by such a wonderful Guild."

She finally dared looking up, and she was greeted by the warm smile of the man she easily guessed was her employer. He was in his late twenties, with brown hair tied in an intricate ponytail and green, vibrant eyes.

"I am Charles Tremedia, the current Head of the Tremedia Family," he greeted, extending his hand to her. "It truly is a pleasure to meet you."

She shook his hand firmly. "Likewise. So, would you mind if I started right away?"

"Straight to business, uh? Wonderful!" he grinned, clasping his hands together. "I'll explain the mission in greater details right away, then. You see-"

There suddenly was a knock on the door.

"Lord Tremedia, two wizards of Sabertooth have come in answer to the request. Shall I let them in?"

The man opened his mouth, then closed it, before smiling a little. "Of course, let them in." He then turned to her, somewhat apologetic. "I apologize for the short notice, but I had thought that Fairy Tail had forgotten about my request and so I sent it to Sabertooth. However, I am fairly certain we can all come to an agreement."

"Saber… tooth…?" Kaelys never heard of that Guild. Surely one that appeared during the seven years they were gone.

The door opened, and she turned around to see the two announced wizards coming in. The first one was clothed with darkness, a single red eye visible as the other one was hidden by his bangs. The second one was familiar, with messy blond hair and deep blue eyes. He was also sporting a small scowl on his lips-

 _"Lys!"_

The teen blinked, startled. "Frosch?"

"Lys!"

The little Exceed jumped, and she reacted just in time to catch him. As he hugged her tightly, she remembered where she had seen the blond one in the first place.

"On the train…"

"Oi, Frosch! I told you not to run ahead like that!" A brown cat ran in. "It's- oh. It's you."

"Hello, Lector," Kaelys smiled at the brown cat who had appeared behind the blond.

"Fro is really happy!" beamed the green cat in her arms. "Because Lys promised she would see Fro soon again, and she did!"

"That wasn't exactly planned," she sweatdropped.

"You guys know each other, then?" then exclaimed cheerfully Lord Tremedia. "Wonderful, really! Why don't we get started, then?"

"Now, just wait a minute." The blond one's –what was his name again?- scowl deepened as he eyed her with arrogance. "Who's the kid? Lector, who is it?"

"She's the one who found Frosch on the train and brought him back," instantly answered the brown cat. "I didn't know she was a mage, though!"

The blond clicked his tongue. In three steps, he was standing before her, a good head taller than she was.

"A mage, uh? From which pathetic Guild are you from, then?"

She glared at him. "Fairy Tail. And who're you?"

He stared.

And stared.

And stared.

And started laughing.

"O-oh God, that's the best one I've heard in a while!" He held his stomach, wiping away a nonexistent tear. "Fairy Tail? They're the weakest bunch I've ever met!"

"Fairy Tail is the strongest Guild in Fiore!" she snapped back.

"Strongest? You've got it wrong, sweet cheeks. It was the strongest in Fiore _seven years ago._ Now, since it lost all of its worthy mages…" He shrugged arrogantly. "It's probably the weakest Guild in the whole kingdom, and that's putting it mildly."

"Seven years ago…? But then…" Her eyes widened in understanding. She had heard form the others how Fairy Tail's reputation had gone down the drain, but she didn't think it was so bad, at the time… Her glare hardened, though. "Well, tough luck for you, guys, 'cause we're _back."_

This time, he took as step back, genuinely startled. He looked her up and down a few times, before shaking out of his shock, pointing a finger at her face.

"Y-you mean… you're one of those who went missing seven years ago?"

"Yes. We had some trouble during our S-Class exam, but we're home now, and that's all that matters." She stared at him for a moment. "Also, it's rude to point."

"But- but-"

"Sting, she is right."

"R-Rogue!"

The teen reported her attention on the second man. He had kept quiet until now, watching the conversation unfold without expressing anything. Now, though, he too seemed stunned by the news somewhat.

"I apologize for his rudeness." He then bowed a little. "He did not mean any harm. He is merely an idiot."

"I see."

"Oi! I'm not-"

"My name is Rogue. Thank you, for helping Frosch." He smiled softly at that, glancing at the Exceed she was still holding. "I know he can be a handful sometimes."

"It was no problem," she assured, her anger dying down. "However, I think we should settle the matter at hand, right now."

"What matter?" Sting grunted, obviously annoyed at being ignored.

"I don't know, the job request both of our Guilds answered to?" she raised an eyebrow, obviously not impressed.

He flushed a little at that, somewhat embarrassed, and crossed his arms over his chest with a 'humph'. "I knew that."

"Of course you knew, Sting!" cheered Lector. "You know everything!"

"That I do!" They high-fived, and Kaelys sweatdropped, looking back at Rogue.

"So?" He was obviously the brain of this team. "What do we do?"

"I'd suggest we hear about the details of the mission, and then decide what we do," he proposed calmly.

"Sure. Lord Tremedia-"

"Please, call me Charles."

"Mister Charles, then. Would you mind telling us everything?"

"Of course, even though there isn't much to say… How about I show you?" he proposed, getting up. His smile hadn't wavered once since their little fight started, instead growing if possible. He obviously found them entertaining. "Follow me."

He headed out of his office. Kaelys instantly followed, Frosch still in her arms. She could hear Sting grumbling in annoyance behind, but paid him no mind. Either he played along or left, she didn't care either way.

"As long as he doesn't insult Fairy Tail again…" she muttered.

"What was that, Lys?" wondered cutely Frosch.

"Nothing. Say, do you like sweets?"

* * *

.

.

"What… is that place?"

They had entered the last room of the second floor. It looked like all of the others at first but, once inside, they instantly noticed the difference.

Magic. _Everywhere._

Lord Tremedia patted a gigantic, metallic door on the wall opposite to the entrance of the room. "This here is a magical safe that has been passed down in our family for many generations now. From father to son, it accumulated over the years a considerable amount of wealth. My father died a few months ago, making me inherit this safe."

"And you want the treasure that's inside?" easily guessed Rogue.

"Exactly. However, we cannot forcefully break in. If any harmful Magic is used against it, then its contents will be destroyed along with the safe," he sighed, before smiling again. "None has been able to find the code, yet and, if we try too many times without knowing the actual code, then magical wards come up and stop the person from even stepping foot in this room again."

"Why didn't your father tell you the code, then?" Kaelys wondered, scratching the back of her head.

"My father was a very… peculiar man. He enjoyed riddles and mysteries, you see? That is why I believe that the code is hidden in this very room. It _was_ his office, after all," answered their employer, somewhat nostalgic. "My servants, my family and I haven't touched anything yet. We didn't want to risk destroying a clue by accident. We also believe only mages will be able to find those clues in the first place, seeing as my father was a wizard. Anyhow, your mission is to solve this mystery, find the code, and open the safe."

"Seems simple enough," mused the blond. "Anything else?"

"Take all the time that you need," instantly replied Lord Tremedia. "You are welcome to stay in the mansion for the duration of the mission. All of your needs will be taken care of and, if you ever give up, you will still be paid a quarter of the reward for trying."

"That's extremely generous of you," remarked Kaelys, somewhat surprised.

At that, the man sighed, rubbing the back of his head.

"I know that rich families like ours don't have great reputations," he then admitted, somewhat shamefully. "Since my grandfather became the Head, we started trying to clean the names of the nobles, even though it'll take many more generations if we want to achieve that. By opening this safe, I'm hoping we'll be able to distribute the money to those who need it more."

"That's very remarkable," stated flatly Rogue, though impressed.

"You think? Just doing what my old man taught me to do," he laughed a little. "Anyway, no more boring stuff! You can get started whenever you want. How about tomorrow, the time you settle in and get comfortable?"

"No need, we'll surely be done before the day is over," shrugged Sting, stretching his arms. "Rogue's a pro at those sort of things. Oi, kid! Get out of here. Sabertooth can handle it."

Her eye twitched. She took a deep breath.

She then offered him a sweet smile.

"I was here first. If someone's leaving, it's you." Her smile turned feral. "Otherwise said: _fuck off_."

He stiffened at the sudden killing intent, his senses going haywire. He could hear his heart thumping painfully in his chest, his thoughts frozen, his nerves aching-

"How about we work together?"

Rogue's voice cut through the tension like a knife, and the killing intent instantly vanished.

"Splitting the reward?" Kaelys raised an eyebrow, before shrugging. "I don't mind. I just need some money right now."

"Wonderful!" beamed Charles. "I'll have a maid show you to your respective rooms, then. Dinner will be served at seven, and formal wear will be provided. Until then, feel free to roam the mansion or go out into the village! This safe can wait for another day."

Rogue and Kaelys nodded, and the teen was the first one to leave the room along with their employer. Frosch instantly ran after her, and Lector followed, trying to stop the Exceed.

"Are you alright, Sting?"

"I… I…" The blond swallowed, trying to gather his thoughts. "Y-yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about it."

Rogue said nothing, but did notice how his hands were shaking.

* * *

.

.

Kaelys had taken a quick look around the mansion on her own. All of the maids and servants were kind, though all looked tired beyond belief. Deciding not to prod, the teen had simply enjoyed the tour she was given.

When she returned to the room she had been assigned for the night, though, she found the 'formal wear' Lord Tremedia had mentioned back in his grandfather's office.

Kaelys stared at the dress on the bed, and blinked.

Once.

Twice.

"No way am I wearing this."

Because while the dress on her bed truly was lovely, she couldn't shake off the feeling that it was really creepy for the people of the mansion to know her measurements not even an hour after she arrived. That, and because the scars on her arms would show. She had decided to cover them so as not to make her employer uneasy, but the dress would force her to either reveal them or wear bandages: two options she didn't particularly enjoyed.

Shaking her head, she was about to head outside when voices echoed. Going to her window, she narrowed her eyes as she watched her two temporary partners walking into the gardens. Sting was obviously annoyed at something, while Rogue simply listened calmly, answering from time to time.

Something told her she was the subject of the conversation.

 **'** **Well, let's be honest: they think you're from the weakest Guild, so of course they don't want to work with you'**

"Whatever," she huffed, letting them be. "Not like we'll meet again after this mission is over with. Tomorrow, I'll be leaving again- oh! Maybe I should call Lucy or someone, to let them know…"

She grabbed the Lacrima. About to activate it, she then placed it back into her pocket with a sigh. She'd call them tomorrow, once at Blue Pegasus, like she told them she would.

"I can handle myself," she assured, clenching her fist. "I _know_ I can. I don't need people to watch over me constantly."

Her determination hardened, she then headed out. Dinner was about to be served, and she was starving.

* * *

.

.

When she arrived, none commented on her clothes. The Lord simply smiled at her, gesturing for her sit to his right while the Sabertooth wizards sat to his left. She smiled at Frosch and Lector, greeted Rogue with a nod, and completely ignored the blond, who huffed and returned the favor.

"We're all here, then? Wonderful!" greeted their employer. He gestured to the food on the table. "Come on, now, dig in! Don't worry about eating your fill, we still have a lot in our kitchens! I will have to take my leave for now, though. I'm afraid there is still much work to do. Do enjoy your evening, though."

"Don't mind if I do, then." And Sting started wolfing down the plates.

Lord Tremedia then left, though Kaelys didn't really notice, staring at Sting for a moment, mildly surprised. Watching him eat reminded her of the few times she shared her meals with Natsu and even Gajeel. Erik, when he was really hungry, too.

He was eating as much as a Dragon Slayer.

"They have Exceeds too…" she mumbled, before looking back at them. "I'm sorry if it's a personal question, but I was wondering… are you two Dragon Slayers?"

Rogue glanced at her, merely nodding in confirmation, but Sting promptly spat out the chicken wing he was ingurgitating.

"You don't even know who we are!?"

"Again: I've been gone for seven years. So no, I have no idea who you guys are," she deadpanned.

"Tche. Well! Prepare to be educated, awed, mesmerized!" The blond jumped on his feet, smug. "For before your eyes is none other than the White Dragon, the great Sting Eucliffe!"

"… okay. And you said you were Rogue, right? A Dragon Slayer too… Shadows?"

"Aa. Do you know many Dragon Slayers?" he questioned, curious.

"I know… five of them," she confirmed, counting on her fingers.

"Fairy Tail has _five Dragon Slayers?_ No way," scoffed Sting sitting back down.

"Yes way!" she protested, annoyed. "Natsu, Gajeel, Wendy, Erik and Laxus! Well, Erik and Laxus got their powers from Lacrimas… but the other three were raised by Dragons, the real deal! Weren't you?"

They both startled a little at the first two names, but quickly shook it off.

"Yeah, we sure were," replied the blond, somewhat smugly. "But we're even stronger than first and second generations of Dragon Slayers, you see. Because, not only were we raised by Dragons… but we got Lacrimas too. That, _and_ we actually killed Dragons for real."

"Seriously?" she gasped, surprised. "Where did you even find them? I know Natsu's been looking for his dad for years, now…"

"Our parents," simply answered Rogue, unperturbed.

The teen stiffened. "… come again?"

"We killed the Dragons who raised us," repeated Sting, now fully grinning. He leaned back in his seat. "That's why we're _real_ Dragon Slayers, and the strongest. So, amazed yet?"

The Thief mage lowered her eyes. Her bangs were now covering the higher half of her face, and the grip she had on her fork was so tight her knuckles turned white.

"… amazed…?" she echoed, voice scarily blank. "I'm _disgusted._ Those Dragons… you said they were your parents, right? So you considered them family. Why the hell would you ever take pride… in killing your family?" She slapped down her fork on the table and her chair scrapped the floor loudly. "I'm not hungry anymore. We'll settle this mission tomorrow and after that? I truly hope I won't see your faces again."

On that note, she wasted no time in leaving the room. The doors slammed shut, and the two older wizards stared at her dramatic exit for a moment.

"What's _her_ problem?" finally grunted the blond, returning to his food.

Fro frowned sadly. "Is Lys angry with us?"

"She's just tired, Fro," answered the man, patting the Exceed's head. "Don't worry about it."

* * *

.

.

"I can't _believe_ it!"

 **'** **Just calm down already! Sheesh, you're annoying'**

"They killed their family!" Kaelys was angry. So, so, so angry. "They just… they simply _killed_ them…"

 **'** **You killed your best friends for my power, didn't you? Pretty much the same, if you ask me'**

"It _isn't_!" she protested firmly. She dropped onto her bed, head between her hands. "He was so damn _proud_ of it… it wasn't about becoming stronger, or anything of the sort. For them, it was just a way to _show_ their strength. They killed those they considered their parents _for the hell of it._ I can't- I would never do that. I could never go that far."

 **'** **Because you lack resolve. Those kids did great, I'd say. After all, family is what holds you back, in the end. You can never reach your full potential with them in the way'**

"A real family will always push you to reach said potential, even if it means for you to leave them!" she snapped back. "Isn't that what Fairy Tail do? We support each other in every way we can, and it works! So why… why did they have to do this…?"

 **'** **Why do you even care? You said it yourself: tomorrow, you'll finish the damn mission, and then you'll be on your merry way and never see them again. Stop making such a big deal about people you'll never see again'**

"You know what, though?" She smiled bitterly at that. "I doubt tomorrow will be the end of it. Honestly… honestly, I think it's just the beginning."

At that, Shirokage didn't answer.

He didn't have to. She was right, after all. He too could guess that much.

* * *

.

.

Frosch pushed open the door, and quietly walked into the room. It was really dark, and he was scared of the monsters that might pop out at any moment, but kept focused on the task at hands.

Lys, the nice girl from the train, was angry. And he didn't want her to be upset. So, ignoring the shadows hovering, he quickly made his way to her bed. Climbing on it, he was then about to wake her up, when he noticed her pained expression.

Frowning, he climbed on top of her, and let his head rest against her chest.

He could hear her heart beating really, really fast.

"Lys…" What was happening to her? Maybe she was sad. Maybe she needed a hug! He knew he needed one. "Lys, wake up!"

Her eyes snapped open. For a second, there was a flash of luminescent yellow. It however quickly disappeared as the girl nearly shoved him off the bed.

"F-Fro?" It took her a few seconds to realize it was him. "W-what are you doing here? You scared me!"

"Is Lys mad at Fro?" He suddenly felt like crying. What if Lys hated him now? What if she never wanted to see him again? "Please, don't hate Fro!"

"Fro…" Her traits finally softened, and she brought him in her embrace. Now that she held him, he could tell she was shaking. "No, I don't hate you. I could never hate you, Fro."

"Promise?"

"Promise. I was just angry with Sting and Rogue, because they weren't nice during the dinner," she answered. It was a rather softened version, but she didn't want him to cry. "Is that why you came in the middle of the night? Because you didn't want me to be mad at you?"

"Hmm," he confirmed, leaning into her warmth. "Can Fro sleep with Lys tonight?"

"I…" She hesitated for a moment, before smiling a little, and lying back down. "Yeah, I don't mind. I just… I have nightmares, so don't hesitate to wake me up if I bother you during the night, alright?"

"Okay!" Frosch was too happy to really care about the rest. Lys wasn't mad at him, and he was content with that.

Pulling the covers over the both of them, Kaelys then took a deep breath, and closed her eyes.

No other nightmares came to upset her night.

* * *

.

.

The next morning, when Kaelys woke up, it was only to find Rogue in her room.

"Shit!"

She wasted no time in assaulting him with her pillow. He took the blow, stumbling back a little under the strength of it, and shot her a half-amused, half-bewildered look. She used the opportunity to grab her eyepatch and quickly tie it over her face.

"What are you doing in my room?" she then snapped, not one for bad wake-up calls.

"I was looking for Frosch. I figured I'd find him in your room. Since you didn't answer when I knocked, I decided to see for myself. I apologize for intruding."

"I… ugh, fine. Whatever." With that, she looked down at the Exceed, still sleeping in her arms. Gently, she nudged him awake. "Time to rise, sunshine. Rogue is here to pick you up for breakfast."

"Rogue…?" mumbled the green cat, rubbing his eyes. He then noticed the Dragon Slayer, and instantly jumped from her eyes to run at him. "Good morning, Rogue!"

The man crouched to greet him with a smile. "Good morning, Fro."

As Fro started counting his little escapade, Kaelys stifled a yawn. Then, pulling off the covers, she went to grab her back near the desk and headed for the bathroom to get prepared for the day. By the time she got out, around fifteen minutes later, the two had left and there was a note on the door.

 _Breakfast will be served at nine. We plan on starting the mission right after._

 _Also, I apologize for Sting's attitude. I do hope we will still be able to work together._

 _PS: Fro says hello._

Her lips twitched a little a that. She shoved the note in her bag, before heading out. She faintly remembered the route to the dinning room, but still arrived late. Bu the time she got there, everyone was already eating.

"Sorry for the lateness," she bowed a little to the Head of the mansion.

"No worries, my dear," answered the man with his eternal smile. "I am glad you enjoy the mansion and its wonders. Anyhow, I've heard that you are planning on starting the mission after we have eaten? I am glad to have such capable mages handling this delicate situation. I am counting on you!"

"We will not disappoint," she assured.

"Wonderful. Though, no more of such boring talk at the table. I know! Why don't you tell me about how you met Fro-kun here?" he proposed, still remembering yesterday's incident. "It sounds like an interesting adventure."

"Oh, oh! Fro wants to tell it!" cheered the Exceed.

The man's smile only widened. "I'm all ears."

* * *

.

.

The silence was heavy.

None dared to talk.

It was like that for many awkward minutes.

"So…"

"Alright, look." Kaelys was the first to snap. She turned to the blond. "I don't like you, you don't like me, that much is clear. However, we both want this mission to be a success, correct? So let me get this straight: in this room, we keep it professional. I don't care about teasing and such, but we have to actually work together if we want to make this work, and it's not by constantly being on each other's back that it'll work. So, deal?"

Sting stared at her outstretched hand for a moment, before shrugging and shaking it. Satisfied, the teen then turned to Rogue, who seemed faintly amused at the whole ordeal.

"He said you were the pro when it came to these sorts of things. So, what do we do first?"

He took a moment to look around the room, and Kaelys did the same. On the first wall, the one with the door through which they came in, were many mirrors. They had different shapes, sizes and even colors.

On the second wall, to the left, were a few paintings. They were rather pretty, all depicting different sceneries like a city or a forest.

The third wall, the one to the right, had clocks. They all seemed very old, and all were indicating a different time.

On the fourth wall was the safe. Around it were hung many masks of all kinds: tribal masks, animal masks, ball masks…

In the middle of the room was a desk. On it were scattered pens and papers, and there even was an old candle that had since long stopped lighting anything. There also was a picture.

"We need four numbers to open the safe," finally remarked Rogue, facing the gigantic safe in the wall. "We cannot try too many combinations, or else we won't be able to set foot in this room again, and we will have failed the mission. Lord Charles told us that there were more than probably clues, all in this room. All we have to do is find them, and put the pieces together."

"But what exactly are we looking for?" Sting asked, kind of confused.

"We don't know," shrugged Kaelys, making her way towards the paintings. She then shot a teasing grin at the blond. "That's the beauty of mysteries. You don't know what you're looking for until you find it, right? I suggest we all check the walls. I'll take care of the paintings, and you guys…"

"I will look over the clocks," nodded Rogue. "Sting…"

He trailed off, noticing that the blond had already dropped the conversation to go and admire himself in the mirrors.

Kaelys sweatdropped, before shaking her head and getting to work. As long as he didn't get in the way, she'd be happy.

* * *

.

.

 _"_ _Seems simple enough,_ he said," mimicked Kaelys in a high-pitched voice. _"We'll be done before the day is over,_ he said."

"I don't talk like that! And how exactly was I supposed to know it'd be this freaking hard to find a single clue?"

They had been at it for almost two hours now, and they still failed to understand what exactly they were supposed to find. If excited at first at the idea of deciphering a code leading to a secret treasure, Kaelys no longer find it in herself to be entertained by the mission.

She was _suffocating_ in this tiny room, seriously.

Annoyed, she headed for the single window of the room, which was near one of the paintings. As she tried to open the curtain, though, she found herself unable to do so. Narrowing her eyes, she pulled at it again, but faced the same result.

The curtain just wouldn't budge.

"Magic…?" she wondered, confused. "Why would there be Magic gluing it in place?"

"Something wrong?" inquired Rogue as he checked once again the blank papers on the desk.

"I don't know. I just can't open the curtain," she answered, pulling at it again.

"Come on, it can't be that hard," Sting rolled his eyes, joining her. He grabbed the curtain. "See, you just have to- to…" He pulled a little harder, in vain.

"Pull harder?" the teen completed, unamused.

"Tche. There's just something wrong with this curtain," he replied, his ego somewhat hurt.

"That's what I thought too," the teen simply nodded. "I suspect Magic. But why would someone magically glue a curtain in place?"

"To hide what's behind it?" proposed the boy, suddenly excited. "Maybe that's one of the clues!" He was about to use his Magic to forcefully remove it when the teen stopped him.

"Don't."

"Why?"

"Let's just look at the situation this way: this very room is a lock, and it needs a key. You can't just bust it open. If you don't have the right key to open it, then you need to find it," she answered. "For all we know, using Magic against it will destroy the clue hidden behind it, if there really is one."

"Alright, alright…"

As he returned to amuse himself with the mirrors, the teen kept her focus on the damn curtain. What could this mean? There was obviously no way to open it unless using Magic, but she knew, deep down, that this wasn't the road to take.

 **'** **Maybe it's a message, or something'**

"What do you mean?" she mumbled under her breath.

 **'** **I don't know, maybe the curtain being closed is a clue in itself'**

"… that's actually a good idea," she realized, surprised.

Without wasting any more time, she went to the door, next to which was the light switch. She quickly turned it off, plunging the whole room in darkness.

"Oi! What was that for?" She couldn't see Sting, but she knew he was a few meters before her.

"Checking something. Can you guys see anything?"

"No one could see anything in this damn darkness!" whined the blond. "Why…"

"There, on the ceiling."

At Rogue's calm statement, she instantly snapped her eyes up. After a few seconds of her eyes adjusting, she finally found what he was talking about.

Something was glowing in the left corner.

Keeping the light off, she used her Telekinesis and floated until she reached the ceiling, before heading for the weird glowing spot. As soon as she reached it, excitement swelled in her chest once again.

"It's a riddle!" she exclaimed, now close enough to read the words. "Kind of."

"Glow-in-the-dark paint?" understood Sting, whistling lowly. "Damn."

"What does it says?"

"Nothing much. Just _'face your inner demons_ ', whatever that's supposed to mean."

The light was suddenly turned back on. She cringed a little, closing her eye to protect it from the sudden light.

"Wait, you're flying?" blinked Sting, only now realizing she was actually up there.

"Yes."

At her complete lack of reaction, he slumped in defeat. But, then again, who could blame Kaelys? She had gotten over that fact a long time ago.

 _"_ _Face your inner demons…"_ Rogue thought, looking at the walls once again. "Maybe it has something to do with the mirrors?"

The three of them gathered before said mirrors. Sting tried to take one off, but found himself unable to do so. After checking, they realized that all mirrors were glue, just like the curtain from before.

"Definitely a clue, then," she nodded, brows furrowed. "But about what?"

'CLANG'

They jumped at the noise, only to find Frosch, who was being scolded by Lector with a mask lying on the floor next to them. As Rogue went to comfort his Exceed, Kaelys picked up the mask.

"Funny, it looks like a…" She stiffened, looking at it closer. "It's…"

"Kaelys-san, is something the matter?"

She turned to Rogue, and showed him what she had found. "An Oni mask. A _demon_ mask. _Face your inner demons_ is what the message said, right? What if…"

"How many masks are there?" He jumped to his feet.

"Twelve."

The two wizards jumped a little, and Sting scowled. "What? I was bored."

"How many mirrors, then?" asked the teen.

"Eleven," answered the blond.

"We can't move the mirrors, but we can move the masks," mused Rogue. He carefully took one off the wall. After turning it over, he smiled in mild amusement. "There is a number written into it. The number five'."

Curious, Kaelys checked the Oni mask in her hands. On the inside, just between the two holes for the eyes, was clearly carved the number two.

"Check all of them, come on! I think we've got something!" she pressed, growing more and more restless.

She flew to get the higher ones, while the boys took care of the others. After gathering all of them, they put them in order on the floor. Each mask had a number, all in order from one to twelve.

"Maybe it's the demon one that has the right number?" proposed Sting.

"Too easy," instantly refused the teen, turning to face the mirrors. "There must be something else we're missing…"

"Plus, each of the masks actually represents a demon," added Rogue, twirling the ball mask in his hands. He showed it to them. "There are horns on this one."

"And the animal one is a goat," pointed out Lector, grinning. "Like the Devil!"

Biting her lower lip, Kaelys glanced back at the Oni mask. Then, with a shrug, she went over to the first mirror on the right. Placing the mask upon her face, she then faced her reflection.

"What are you doing?" Sting rolled his eyes.

"I dunno. The message said to 'face our inner demons', right?" she replied.

"No way that would work. It's-"

"There's something!"

At first blurred, she could now see a number floating on the glass.

"Number six!" she told them. "Which one is number six?"

"Here."

Rogue passed her the tribal mask. She hung it on the mirror and, after a tensed second of anticipation… nothing happened.

"Maybe I was wrong…" She mumbled, taking it off.

Or at least, tried to.

The mask wouldn't budge.

"Great, now you've made us loose a clue," the annoying blond whined.

"No I didn't!"

"Yeah, you did."

"Sting, stop acting like a kid. Kaelys-san, can you see other numbers on the mirrors?"

"Err, wait a second…" She looked over them, focusing on the next one. After a moment, there was a small glow, and a new number appeared. "Number one!"

"I got it!" exclaimed Lector, rushing to bring it over.

She grabbed the mask, and hung it on the mirror. Again, nothing happened. And again, when she tried to take it off the mirror, it stayed stuck.

"It's going by elimination," suddenly understood Rogue. "Twelve masks, eleven mirrors. Whatever mask is left has the right number for the code."

"Then let's do this! Next one is… number ten!"

And on it went, until only two masks were left. She had had to switch the Oni mask a while before, since the number two came up before they were finished, but it would seem every mask held the same ability.

"The last one is number four!"

"Fro has it! Here!"

"Thank you." And thus, the last mask was placed.

She took off the one on her face, before grinning at the other two.

"Number eight," she announced. "Seems like we've got a winner."

"That's nice an all, but we're still three numbers short," replied Sting, obviously tired with this riddling bullshit. "And even when we find them, we'll still have to determine in what order they should be placed. That's going to take _months_!"

"Of course not, silly," the teen rolled her eyes, placing the mask on the desk. "It took us so much time because we didn't know what exactly we were looking for. But now? We know that everything in this room has the potential to be a clue. The numbers are hidden, we just have to find them!"

"We _could_ take a break," then proposed Rogue. "It is almost dinner time, and we do have training to attend to. We can continue tomorrow."

"You guys go ahead," she replied, glancing back at the paintings. "I'll see if I can find anything else. See you tomorrow, or something."

The Dragon Slayers exchanged a look, and Sting shrugged, before happily walking out. If the kid found anything while they were gone, then good for her. The call of food was stronger than his manly pride, for once.

Kaelys simply returned to the task at hands. Now that she understood better the context of the mission, she really wanted to solve it.

* * *

.

.

She had looked everywhere. She had spent nearly thirty minutes in full darkness, checking each centimeter of each walls, and of the ceiling. Other than the message in the corner, though, there was no other sign of glow-in-the-dark paint. After what, she had tried moving the paintings, to no avail. Trying to move the clocks lead to the same result.

All of the papers on the desk were blank, and none of the pencils actually worked. The candle was unusable, the picture was unmovable, and there were no secret inscriptions on the chair. She _had_ found out that the single drawer of the desk was locked, but she didn't dare to try and force it open. It needed a key, and a key she'd find.

"My head hurts…" she groaned, rubbing her temples.

 **'** **You've been in here for hours. What were you expecting?'**

"Look, if you're not going to help, then shut up," she huffed.

 **'** **Wow, someone's bitchy. Are you PMSing or-'**

 _"_ _Not. Another. Word."_

Shirokage cackled, and she pinched the bridge of her nose, closing her eyes. She had taken off her eyepatch in hopes that the Demon would help her out, but had been met with his usual asshole-ness.

There suddenly was a knock, and her employer passed his head in the oppening.

"Mind if I come in?"

"S-sure!" The teen instantly covered her eye as Lord Tremedia walked in.

He was smiling as per usual, a tray of food in his hands. He placed it on the desk, just before her.

"What…"

"I heard from the others that you haven't eaten yet," he answered. "You know, as I said before, there is no rush. I understood that you already found a clue, right? Quite wonderful, truly. You ought to be proud of yourselves, then. My father was quite renown for his unsolvable riddles, after all."

"I see. Thank you."

She didn't touch the food, her eyes lingering on the intricate painting of a flower field. It truly was beautiful, and she was still wondering what the clue might be.

"Aa, you enjoy art, then?" mused the master of the house, following her gaze. "That painting was one my father brought back when I was around your age. Won it during an auction, for a ridiculously low price. From X655, if I am not mistaken. One of my personal favorites, too-"

Kaelys suddenly slammed her hands on the desk, eye widening. The man startled a little, unsure of what to make of her sudden reaction. After a few tense seconds, the teen looked back at him.

"… what did you just say?"

"… that it is one of my personal favorites?"

"No, before that! The year! What year did you say?"

"O-oh... Well, it was painted in X656, if my memory serves correctly…" He raised an eyebrow as she started scribbling something down, using her own pen and notebook. "Is something the matter?"

"I think I got something," she answered, biting her lower lip. "Do you know in what year each of those paintings were created?"

"I-I do...? Let's see… the forest, down to the left, was painted during X546. The one representing Crocus is more recent, made in X783. The mountains were painted in X411, and the waterfall in X412. The beach one was created in X732 and finally, the night sky was made in X629."

Kaelys wrote everything down. Once she was done, she started lightly taping her pen on her lips, deep in thoughts.

"I think… I think I have it!" Jumping on her feet, she ran to the wall with the clocks on it. There were seven clocks, just like there were seven paintings. She knew they had to be related somehow, and she just found out how. "Look! This clock here, the wood! Flowers are carved into it. So, if I try this…" She grabbed the hands of the clock, placing the little one on 6, and the big one on the eleven. "Six… fifty-five… there you go!"

Time seemed to stop.

Then, there was a light 'DING', and something fell from under the clock. Picking it up, the teen blinked a few times.

"It looks like a _part_ of _something_ …" She mused, showing the weird scrap of metal to her employer.

He nodded, an excited glint in his eyes. "I would guess each clock has one of the pieces, which will form a key. Shall we see if it works?"

"Yes!"

"Wonderful!"

They started matching up the clocks and the paintings: leaves for the forest, a crown for Crocus, clouds for the mountains, water drops for the waterfall, the sun for the beach and stars for the night sky.

They ended up with seven pieces. Once they were assembled correctly, a faint glow emanated from it, before all the fragments suddenly merged together for form, as thought, a key.

"Yes!" Cheering, the teen wasted no time in unlocking the drawer.

Or rather, tried to.

"Wait, what?" She tried again, and again, but still failed. "It's not working! This isn't the right key… Damn it!"

Defeated, she fell back on the chair. Surprising her, the Lord simply laughed, patting her shoulder in comfort.

"Well, that was an interesting discovery," he remarked. "Been a while since I had fun like that. And who knows? This key surely opens a lock you haven't found yet. However, as entertaining as this was, I am afraid I will have to… how should I put it?" He grinned a little. "Ah, yes: kick you out, would be the best description."

"What? Why?"

"Because you need to rest, my dear," he answered, helping her back on her feet. He then started lightly pushing her towards the door. "I will not have you dying of mental exhaustion, not under this roof."

"But- but we found another clue!" she protested as he played deaf. "We're on the right path to find out the code! Come on, just a little longer!"

"Hmm…" They reached the door. As she believed he would let her stay, though, he suddenly gave another push, making her stumble out. "No."

He quickly retrieved the food tray, before stepping out again and locking the door behind him. He then gave her the tray, and she was well-forced to take it.

"Eat, relax, rest," he ordered simply. "You have done more in a single day than anyone else in entire months of research. This room will not be going anywhere, and no one will touch anything either. You can start searching again, _tomorrow."_

"Stop acting like my father or something like that," she scowled, taking a step back. "It's honestly not necessary. I can take care of myself."

"I know, I know," he laughed, somewhat sheepish. "I apologize. It's just… I have a son, barely younger than you are. I believe my parental instincts merely kicked in."

"… sorry for snapping," she sighed, now uncomfortable. "I'm just… not used to it, I guess. Lucy-nee and my friends often hover, but more because they're worried than anything else."

There was a small twinkly in his eyes. "You must really love them."

"H-how'd you guess?" she blinked, surprised yet again.

"Your tone of voice," he shrugged. "Your eye. Your demeanor. All of your body expresses deep caring for those friends of yours and your sister." He then smiled at her. "I know! Why don't you come and have a cup of tea with me? You can tell me more about those friends, and maybe some of your adventures? Been a while since I've heard some of those…"

The teen stared at the now locked door of the office for a moment, before sighing heavily, giving up. She understood her wouldn't let her back in before the next day and, in a way, she appreciated his concern.

"Alright, I don't mind," she smiled at him. "Plus, I've gotta admit: this food smells delicious."

"Wonderful!" His smile widened. "Shall we, then?"

"With pleasure."

* * *

.

.

Sitting in the living room, they spoke for a while. Both skipped the last meal of the day or, rather, had it served directly at the room.

And Kaelys talked.

She told him about joining Fairy Tail to start over. She told him about Edolas, and Tenroujima. She told him about the missions she took with her friends, about Lucy and Erik and Macbeth and the rest of her friends. She told him about the Guild, and their bonds.

She also talked about her resolutions. About her determination to get better. About how this mission was merely the first step in achieving recovery.

Of course, she didn't tell him about actually being from another world, about Shirokage, about her mother, about Zeref and Acnologia, or even about Oración Seis itself. She knew better than to disclose that kind of information to just anyone and, while he really was a nice guy, she'd rather not risk having her words spread across the kingdom.

"You truly have lived through a great deal of wonderful adventures, haven't you?" He sighed happily, sipping his tea, as she finished the tale of their miraculous return. "I so wish I could have had that kind of chance…"

"You wanted to be a wizard?"

"Once, when I was still a naïve child," he admitted, putting down his cup. "However, I soon came to realize that I was unfortunately part of the ninety percent of the population that wasn't gifted with Magic. In the end, I gave up on my dream and became the Heir of the Tremedia Family; now its Head."

"That's kind of sad…" she remarked, frowning. "Do you regret it?"

"Now that I'm older… No, not really," he answered, genuine. "I have a great deal of fortune, I have a position of influence, and these two simple facts actually allow me great many liberties. I might not be able to help as a wizard, but I can help people in my own way. And of course, I have a wonderful wife and an amazing son."

"Where are they, now?"

"Visiting some family in Crocus. If you stay long enough, you might be able to meet them... Though, at the rate you're going, I doubt it'll happen," he replied, smiling warmly again. "The are due to return in a few months, after all."

"True, I surely won't be around when that happens, then," nodded the teen in agreement. "I..." She stifled a yawn, and blushed a little when he laughed. "Sorry."

"No worries, no worries! I did keep you up for a while, after all. I'll escort you back to your room, now. You need your rest, after all."

"Right."

* * *

.

.

 _"_ _I truly passed a wonderful evening in your company. I do hope we will be able to talk again. I am certain you have yet to tell me all of your adventures."_

 _"_ _I don't mind. I had a great time too. See you tomorrow!"_

 _"_ _Goodnight, Kae-san."_

"'Goodnight, Kae-san~" Sting mimicked, before rolling his eyes. "Gosh, this guy gives me the creep. How much more pedophilic can you get?"

"Why are you so bothered, Sting?" wondered Rogue, eyes fixated on a particularly intriguing chapter of his book. "Kaelys-san can take care of herself. Otherwise, she wouldn't have taken a solo mission."

"It's not bothering me, it's just _wrong!"_ protested the blond.

"Sting." His friend really was aggravated, now. His fellow Dragon Slayer had been ranting about their temporary teammate and her relationship with their employer for almost half-an-hour, now. "They ate together and talked. You heard him, right? His family has been gone for a while and won't be back before a few more months have passed. He's obviously lonely, and finds himself treating Kaelys-san as he would his own child because of it. There is nothing more to this-"

"There _is!_ I just… there's something _wrong_ with the guy, alright?" Sting passed an hand through his messy hair, frustrated. "I can _feel_ it, Rogue. My skin crawls every time we're in the same room and his voice feels _dead_. Come on, I can't be the only one to feel it!"

Understanding he wouldn't keep nagging at him until he answered, Rogue put down his book to fully look at him.

"I… understand what you are talking about," he admitted. "But we cannot act on mere assumptions. For now, I simply suggest we keep an eye out and our ears open. If anything suspicious comes up, then we will intervene."

"Fine. Alright, fine," Sting _finally_ sat down. "Let's just… Don't drop your guard, alright?"

"I won't."

"Rogue…" The man glanced at his Exceed, who seemed upset. "Is Lys in danger?"

"No, she isn't. Sting is just acting silly," he answered softly.

"I am not-"

"But Lys is scared. If she's not in danger, then why is she scared?"

Both men startled a little at that statement.

"Frosch," he narrowed slightly his eyes. "What do you mean, she's scared?"

"Lys has nightmares. Lys told Fro!" assured the green cat. "That means Lys is scared, right?"

"… did she sleep alright after you arrived?"

"Yeah, she didn't move an inch after Fro came to sleep with her!"

The Twin Dragons of Sabertooth exchanged a glance at that.

"Fro, would you like to spend the night with her again?" then proposed the red-eyed mage. "I'm sure she'd like it."

"Really? Yeah!" cheered the frog-cat.

"Hey, Lector!" Sting called over to the brown Exceed, who seemed to be sleeping. "You're going too!"

"Aw, why?" whined the obviously not-asleep cat.

Sting got up, and went to crouch before him.

"Because I've got a special mission for you," he answered in a lower voice. "It might get dangerous, but I'm sure you can handle it."

"Really? What is it?" gasped Lector, now fully attentive.

"The kid might be in danger right now," answered the blond. "It's just a gut feeling, but I don't like it. Your mission is to look after her. If Rogue or myself aren't around, then you have to stay with her, to make sure nothing happens. Do you think you can do it?"

"Sure I can!" cheered his little friend, jumping to his feet. "I can handle any mission, 'cause I'm strong like Sting-kun! I swear, nothing will happen to her on my watch!"

"Great," the blond smirked a little at that. "Of course, this is a secret mission. This means you can't tell either her nor Frosch, alright?"

"Roger that! I won't disappoint!"

"Great. We'll see you guys tomorrow, then."

"Right! Oi, Fro! Come on, let's go to her room!"

"Let's go, let's go!"

The two Exceeds left the room without another look behind.

Rogue looked back to his overly smug friend. "Was that really necessary?"

"Better safe than sorry," replied the White Dragon with a shrug.

The black-haired Dragon Slayer nodded at that, picking up his book once again. Knowing Frosch gone made his stomach twist in mild anxiety, but he also knew the Exceed was safe with Kaelys.

After a few seconds, his lips twitched upward.

"What?" Sting raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing. I simply never thought you'd find yourself so preoccupied about a girl you barely know, and one that irks you like she does."

"I-I don't! I can't stand her! It's just…" His voice lowered a little, and he looked down, clenching his fist slightly. "I'll feel bad if something happens even though we could have stopped it. Nothing more."

"Aa." Rogue could only agree.

* * *

 **I don't know what came over me. Seriously, I don't. At first, it was just to have her get better, and to bring Angel back under the spotlight. And then, I thought about giving her a solo mission and, next thing I knew, the Dragon Twins had appeared. But hey, I don't regret it, so I guess that's that.**

 **If you have any question concerning the enigma of the magic safe, feel free to ask! And please review, it's really appreciated!**

 **Arigato!**


	35. Going Solo PART TWO

**Whoa, I gotta warn you, this is a pretty long chapter. Thanks to those who reviewed and those who favorited my story, I really hope you'll enjoy what'll come next. Also, for those who are wondering... Yes, Sting was one those I considered for a pairing with Kaelys. Frankly, I have no idea what to do with this yet. Romance or friendship? I know that a lot of you ship her with Corvus too, so I think I'll leave the choice to you guys.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

"And so you found a key."

"Yup!"

"Great!" Sting exclaimed with false cheer. He twirled the key in his hands. "So you've got a key… that can't open anything. Awesome job, really."

"Oi, I didn't see you solving another of the riddles, Blondie," she retorted, taking back the small object. "Look, it's got to open _something_ , right? That just means we have to look for another lock, that's all."

"Then let's get to it," agreed Rogue.

* * *

.

.

"Ugh, I'm beat. Guys, I'll head out for a while. I need some air."

Rogue acknowledged her statement with a nod, and Sting ignored her. As she stepped out, though, she found herself almost running into Frosch.

"Can Fro come too?"

"Err…" She glanced at the Black Dragon, who simply nodded again. "Sure. Come on, we'll head to the kitchens and grab us something sweet to eat while we're at it. Lector, you wanna come too?"

"Yes!" The cat jumped onto the opportunity. He had a mission, after all!

He saluted Sting, who saluted back. Kaelys and Frosch missed the exchange as they chatted about cakes. Then, the three of them left the room. Once the door closed and Sting was certain they were gone, he let his head hit the desk with a loud 'THUMP'.

"What _now_?" sighed Rogue.

"Fucking brilliant. She's fucking _brilliant."_

"And you couldn't tell her that instead of insulting her?"

His friend looked scandalized at the thought. "Of _course_ not! Who do you take me for? The great Sting Eucliffe…"

Rogue simply sighed as his friend started ranting once again.

No matter how he tried to hide it, he knew Sting actually liked the kid-

"Whoa!"

Sting suddenly fell flat on his face. Rogue raised an eyebrow, unsure whether to laugh or simply help him up. In the end, he settled on smirking and pulling him back on his feet. The blond frowned, his eyes burning holes into the carpet.

"I don't get it, something definitely bumped against my foot," he grunted, rubbing his head with an heavy glare directed at the carpet. He crouched, narrowing his eyes. After a moment, he blinked. "Rogue? Is it just me or are the patterns different?"

"Where?"

"There."

At first wondering what he was talking about, the red-eyed mage then crouched next to him, looking to where he was pointing. After a few seconds, he realized that his friend was right. The patterns were different than the ones all over the carpet.

"Maybe…" He pushed it down. There was a distinct 'TOCK', and this part of the carpet suddenly vanished, revealing a small trapdoor, just big enough for an hand to pass through. "It's…"

"There's a lock! Maybe it's… the… key." Sting slumped in defeat. "Damn it… The brat has it!"

"Then we'll wait for her to return. What I am wondering is why exactly this clue was suddenly revealed to us. We've walked over this place all day, and it never appeared until now," remarked the Shadow Dragon Slayer, frowning. "Why is that?"

"Maybe the room is helping us out," shrugged Sting, scratching his cheek. "One way or another, we've got the clue. Now, we have to wait for her to come back with the key, and we'll have another part of the code! Ah!"

"You're going to rub it in her face, aren't you?" deadpanned Rogue.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

* * *

.

.

"See? We found another clue. Who's the bright one now, uh?"

The black-haired man facepalmed as his twin arrogantly informed their temporary partner of their discovery. The teen, at first annoyed by his smugness, then shook her head and let it drop. Kneeling next to the trapdoor, she pulled out the key and placed it into the lock.

It opened.

"Yes!" Pushing her hand inside, she fumbled for a few seconds before her hand fell upon a metallic object. "Got something!"

She pulled out a small, cylindrical tube. Opening the lid, she slipped a finger inside, and pulled out a scrap of paper. On it was clearly written the number one.

"We've got half of the code, now," stated Rogue, satisfied.

"But now, we're short on clues _again,_ " remarked Kaelys, placing the paper down next to the mask. "There must be another key, since the drawer is still locked, but where could we find it? We've already used the masks, the paintings, the clocks, the darkness, and even the damn floor! What's left for us to find?"

"The papers," instantly answered Sting. Both stared at him in shock, making him scowl. "You guys ought to stop doing that. But seriously, though, the papers are, like, the only thing we haven't discovered the meaning of yet. None of the pencil works, either. That surely means something, right?"

Kaelys shrugged, grabbing one of the papers. It was still as blank as ever, and she couldn't see any ink or markings on it.

"Maybe it has something to do with the picture? Or the candle?" suggested Lector, nudging at the two items. "They can't be moved either."

"The candle has obviously been used a lot…" mused Rogue. "Maybe it is the same kind of clue as the curtain? One merely guiding our thoughts on the right track…"

"Oh, I know!" Kaelys gasped, looking down at the papers again. "I've heard of that thing once… It's like, there's a special ink that can only appear when you put a flame under it! Because of the heat, or something like that..."

"It's worth a try. But, if we're wrong, and we burn the paper…"

She cringed a little. "We might be loosing one of the clues."

"The heat? I can always use my Magic," shrugged Sting, taking the papers from her hands. "Give me that… okay!" He picked one, and placed his hand under it. "Here I go!"

Activating his Magic, he simply gathered it into his palm as he held it under the paper. After a few seconds, a part of it suddenly darkened.

"Gah!" Kaelys instantly grabbed it. "Stop, you're burning it!"

"No, he's not," replied Rogue, looking closer. "It's a definite shape."

The teen examined it. Now that she paid attention, she saw what he was talking about. It was as if there was part of a drawing, now.

"Maybe it's like for the clock," she muttered, turning it over. "If we make all the parts appear, and assemble them…"

"Then we'll get a new key!" grinned Sting, ruffling her hair. "Not bad, kid! Let's get to it!"

"Stop calling me that!"

Two minutes later, they were done. On each sheet was now clearly drawn a part of what they believed to be the key they were looking for. Superimposing the papers, they finally managed to form the full drawing.

There was a faint glow and, suddenly, a solid key popped out of the paper.

"Awesome," grinned Kaelys, taking a hold of it. She quickly tested it on the locked drawer, which opened without a struggle. "We did it!"

Inside, carved into the drawer itself, was the number five.

"Yes! We're only missing one part of the code, now!" cheered the teen. "What's next?"

"Well… we still have the picture," shrugged Sting. "Other than that, though…"

They passed the next fifteen minutes searching for another clue. There was however nothing else in the drawer, and there wasn't anything written on the picture or onto the frame either.

"This man must be Mister Charles's father, right?" The teen thought it over. "But the kid has blond hair, and Mister Charles has brown hair… This must be his son, then. Didn't he say that this safe had been passed down from father to son for many generations? Maybe…"

"How old was he?"

The girl startled a little at Rogue's sudden question. "What?"

"I'm thinking… Lord Tremedia's father was of an advanced age when he passed away, more probably in his eighties. So… eighty-five?" explained the Black Dragon, tapping his chin. "If we pursue with this logic, and find the age of Lord Tremedia's son…"

"He's ten," answered Kaelys. He stared at her, and she flushed a little. "He told me yesterday, when we were talking. His son is ten years old."

"Wait. Wait, wait, wait…" Sting's eyes widened, suddenly understanding something. "The numbers! We got eight, one and five! If we put them in order, meaning eight, five, and one, then the last number we're missing…"

"Is zero!" exclaimed Kaelys, jumping to her feet. "That's the code! Eight, five, one, zero!"

"Let's try it."

They rushed to the safe, and Rogue quickly entered the four numbers. As soon as he hit the 'zero' button, the little screen turned green, and the distinct sound of gears echoed in the whole room as the door of the safe unlocked.

"We did it!" laughed Kaelys, overjoyed. "Oh my gosh, I can't believe it! Come on, let's go take a look!"

"Shouldn't we inform Lord Tremedia first?" wondered Rogue.

"Oh, come on! I just wanna take a look, and it's not like we're stealing anything," she retorted, rolling her eyes.

"Well…"

"I wanna see too." At his friend's half-glare, Sting shrugged innocently. "What? The kid's right. We slaved away for two days to find the damn answer, so I think we're allowed to at least see this treasure, right? You can go and warn him, while we take a peek. No biggie!"

"Very well. I shall go inform right away," sighed the red-eyed man in defeat. "You better be out by the time we arrive, though, else he might suspect we are up to no good."

"Hai, hai~ Come on, kid! Let's go!"

" _Stop calling me that!"_

He pushed the door fully open, and the two stepped inside, along with the Exceeds. The teen's eyes widened as she stared, in awe, at the thousands of golden coins shimmering under the single light of the safe. There were also bank notes, and precious jewels, and even a fricking crown in the back.

Sting whistled lowly. "Wow, I thought he was kidding when he told us there was a treasure inside."

"Good enough for a Dragon?" Kaelys couldn't help but tease.

He blinked, before laughing a little. "Yeah, good enough for a Dragon."

'CLANG'

Kaelys stiffened, before seeing the cause of the sudden racket. "Fro! Are you alright?" She rushed to the Exceed's side, worried, as he pushed the bag of coins off of him. "What happened?"

"F-Fro's okay…" He was trying his hardest not to cry. "Fro was j-just trying to look…"

She picked him up, patting his head. "We can't take anything, Fro, but what were you trying to see?"

"T-the Lacrima…"

"Lacrima?" Following his gaze, her eye landed on said Lacrima. It was on the ground, thankfully undamaged. She raised an eyebrow, however curious. What was a recording Lacrima doing in a safe like that? "Maybe it's his will…"

"Oi, they're coming back!" suddenly warned Sting, already heading out. "They'll be here in thirty seconds top!"

"Coming!"

Not really thinking, she grabbed the Lacrima and shoved it in her pocket, planning on giving it back later. She then rushed outside with the Exceed, and leaned against the wall while Sting innocently checked out the paintings.

A moment later, the door flew open, letting in an ecstatic Lord Tremedia.

"Unbelievable! You solved this mystery in barely two days!" He grinned, clasping his hands together. "Truly wonderful! I shall have a feast prepared to celebrate the occasion!"

 **'** **Don't'** Kaelys tensed a little at the Demon's warning. **'Leave already!'**

"Erm, with all due respect, Mister Charles…" The teen bit her lower lip. "I really have to go. I have to meet up with a friend, and I think she's waited long enough already."

"Very well, then. Will you two stay?"

The Dragon Twins exchanged a glance, before Rogue shook his head. "We are to return to our Guild as soon as possible."

"I see," the man sighed, but smiled once again. "Well, why don't go pack your things? We will meet up at the entrance, where I will give you your reward, split in three like it was agreed on."

Then, without another look for the wizards, he entered the safe. Kaelys stared for a moment, somewhat sad. She really, really wanted to stay, for some reason. The man had become an important person for her, and they hadn't known each other for even a week!

 **'** **Kid, get out of here. Something's wrong with this damn place'**

"I'm going, I'm going," she muttered, heading out. "Sheesh…"

* * *

.

.

"Come by whenever you want!" Lord Tremedia waved as they departed. "You'll be welcomed with open arms!"

"Thank you! See you around!"

The wizards and the two Exceeds then left. After a few minutes of walking in silence –well, as much as Fro could keep silent-, they reached the town. It took the teen a few seconds to realize that her hand was clenched tight around the hilt of her knife, and she let it go with a small scowl. There was no reason to be wary, and she needed to get rid of this damned paranoia.

 **'** **Why? Not like you had any back in the mansion'**

The girl stiffened.

"What…"

 **'** **That Lord of yours was using Magic the whole time. Nothing strong enough to be noticed, but it was there alright.'**

"But he's not a wizard," she protested. "And even if that was the case, then why didn't you warn me before?"

 **'** **Because I only realized what was going on after you guys opened the safe! Listen, he was using some sort of charm, a spell that allowed him to manipulate your emotions. You babbled quite a lot, didn't you? We're lucky you managed to keep your mouth shut despite all'**

"I don't get it…"

"Oi, kid, you going bonkers or something?" Sting raised an eyebrow, mildly wary.

"I'm not crazy," she grunted. "And stop calling me a kid already! How old are _you_ anyway?"

"I'm nineteen," he replied.

"Then you're barely four years older than me!" she retorted accusingly. "And if we decide to play it official, then I'm twenty-two and so I'm older than you, so there!"

He stopped in his tracks, disbelief clearly written over his face.

"You're kidding, right?"

She crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm not! Look, I'm technically fifteen, but there was the goddamn seven years gap so officially, I'm twenty-two," she huffed.

"… I thought you were like, twelve or something."

"What!? No! I turned fifteen not even a month ago! Well, a month and seven years…"

"So what…" He leaned closer, clearly demonstrating the difference of height. "You're just short?"

"I'm not! It's just you that's so damn tall!"

He snorted, and Rogue stepped in before they could fight any longer. "Kaelys-san, what were you wondering about earlier?"

"Uh? Oh…" The air lost its lightness, the good mood melting like snow under the snow. "It's just… Have you guys felt anything… weird, about Mister Charles?"

They both startled at the inquiry. A shadow passed over Sting's eyes, who became more serious. "Why?"

"I dunno. It's just… I'm not usually this trusting, you know?" She replied, somewhat uncomfortable. "I've… got a lot of issues-" **'That's putting it mildly'** "And, well, I couldn't help but wonder why I trusted Mister Charles so quickly. I thought… maybe a charm, or something? I just don't get why he would do this…"

The Twin Dragons of Sabertooth exchanged a look, before Rogue sighed.

"We did suspect something," he then admitted. "Though we had no proof, and so we kept it quiet."

"Is that why Lector kept following me around?" she suddenly understood, looking at the two in confusion. "Because you thought he'd try something?"

"Aa. We did not wish to worry you."

"So… you've been keeping an eye on me all this time?" She felt kind of annoyed at the thought of pure strangers watching her back. "I can take care of myself!"

"Hey, for our defense, we thought you were younger than that," Sting replied, raising in his hands in surrender. "And since you were obviously the most affected by the charm, what could we do?"

"I…" It was kind of bitter to admit, but he was right. "Fine. Thanks, I guess. But now what?"

"What what?"

"Well, what do we do?" she raised an eyebrow. "He's obviously using this spell for _something_ , right? I doubt those are legal anyway, if they can manipulate people like that."

"Why _should_ we do anything?" shrugged the blond. "The mission's done, we're all going home, and that's the end of the story."

"What? But we should at least warn the authorities, or-"

"As said before, we do not have any proof," calmly pointed out Rogue. "We cannot act on mere speculations."

"Then we go back and trick him into telling us the truth!"

"What for?" Sting repeated, obviously tired of the argument. "This isn't our problem."

"But…" He had a point, she knew he had, but did it make it right to simply close her eyes on the matter?

 **'** **Hey, didn't you take something in the safe earlier? Check it out, maybe it'll help or something'**

"That's right!" In her pocket was still the recording Lacrima. Pulling it out, she then showed it to the two, somewhat sheepish. "I forgot to give it back earlier. Who knows, maybe it'll help understand something?"

Before any of them could protest, she sent some of her Magic through the Lacrima, activating it. There was a faint glow, before an hologram suddenly appeared above it. It was a man, one she recognized from the picture.

"His father…"

 ** _"_** ** _I am glad to see that this message has fallen into the right hands. Please, whoever you are, listen carefully."_**

"Wow, that's reassuring."

 ** _"_** ** _You found this Lacrima because I wanted you to. The whole ordeal you had to go through so as to reach it was a test, so as to make sure my son, Charles Tremedia, wouldn't get his hands on it."_**

"I've got a bad feeling about this," sighed Sting, however listening.

"Shhh!"

 **"** **You must have seen the treasure before finding this Lacrima. What you surely haven't seen, is how all of these riches were covered in blood. For, you see, the fortune of the Tremedia Family isn't merely an heirloom passed from generation to generation. We may pass as nobles close to the crown, but our true riches come… from none other than slavery."**

The air stilled, time stopped, the wind picked up. Kaelys's eye widened as she tried to wrap her mind about what had just been said.

 ** _"_** ** _For generations, the Tremedia Family has been trading slaves. Capturing people in the town and villages, they send them to the borders of the kingdom, where they are taken to be sold in the neighboring kingdoms. The system is gigantic, too big to dismantle with a snap of the fingers._**

 ** _Far too late have I realized that this way of living wasn't one to follow. I am afraid it is also too late for my son, as he has already taken over most of the system so as to make even more profit. I am merely a figurehead, now, and I hold no doubt that I will soon be killed by my own child._**

 ** _Whoever found this message, I beg of you: find a way to stop this nightmare._**

 ** _You are the only one who can put an end to it."_**

The hologram flickered, then disappeared. The Lacrima stopped glowing, and it suddenly cracked in two. Slowly, Kaelys put it back in her pocket, and lifted her eye to the two horrified Dragon Slayers.

"We… we can't stay there and do _nothing,"_ she remarked, growing more and more agitated. "What's happening… How many people have already been lost? How many- how many more will suffer if we just ignore what we just discovered? We can't just say it's not our problem anymore, it's- it's…" She trailed off, easily noticing how they were avoiding to look at her. Her shoulders slumped a little under the weight of understanding. "You're… not planning to do anything."

"This shit is _way_ beyond us, kid-"

 _"_ _Kaelys!"_

"And what, you expect us to just pop in there, accuse the guy of slave trading, and be done with it? We need _proof._ He could very well have us all arrested if we don't have anything to back up our claims," replied Sting, for once not harboring his arrogant smirk. "What's happening is awful, but those people will have to help themselves. We can't-"

"Help… themselves…?" A sharp laugh escaped her lips, and she took a step back, shaking her head. "No… no, it doesn't work like that… Being a slave means being _nothing._ You have everything stripped away from you: your name, your identity, your humanity… You're trapped and each day, you sink deeper in despair because of the hopelessness of the situation. How… how can you tell them to _help themselves!?_ How can anyone help themselves… if they don't even know who they are anymore?"

She swallowed, her throat dry and her heart thundering in her chest.

"Do you know what if feels like… to be in chains everyday?" She half-whispered, half-screamed. "To have the door right in front of you, but being unable to open it? To have the sun and the stars mocking you from up there, because they know you'll never reach them? Do you know what it feels like, to have the bindings eating your skin, to be powerless and forced to live in captivity, slowly loosing sight of everything because you're blinded by defeat? The only way to survive is to give up and even then, you're still loosing. Do you know what it feels like, to simply watch as you're forced to play along with this sickening bullshit because you're not even allowed to die any longer? Do you!? _DO YOU?_ "

Her breathing was ragged, uneven. She was having a hard time to settle her thoughts, and fighting to keep her powers on a tight leash.

Sting simply stared, horror evident on his traits.

"Kaelys-san-" Rogue tried to step in, but she quickly cut him off.

"Because _I_ do," she spat, looking down. Her fists were clenched, shaking… but they suddenly stopped moving. The teen relaxed in the blink of an eye, and she suddenly looked up again. In her purple eye was harsh, cold determination. " _I_ know what if feels like, and I simply _refuse_ to sit idly by as people suffer through the same things I did. I might not have been a slave, but chains are still chains, no matter how much gold you throw over them."

Taking a deep breath to calm down the last of her frenzy, she then swiftly spun on her heels, and started walking again.

Back towards the mansion.

"W-wait!" exclaimed Sting, tensed. "You can't go barging in like that, it's dangerous! Damn it, why do you even care about people you don't even know!?"

The teen kept on walking, and raised her hand high enough for him to see her guildmark.

"Because I'm a mage of Fairy Tail!" Her voice seemed faraway, carried by the wind. "Playing the heroes is kind of our thing, ya know?"

The two Tigers and the dumbstruck Exceeds could only watch as she slowly disappeared from their sight.

* * *

.

.

Charles Tremedia was a very happy man. Not only had those wizards opened the safe in record time, but the treasure inside was even greater than he thought it would be. At first, he had been aggravated when discovering his father had activated wards around it so as to stop him from getting the money but, thankfully, all he had had to two was pay some people to do it in his place.

Of course, he had hoped his Trust Charm would work better. Had the wizards stayed for dinner, he could have slipped the usual drug in their food and gained three more specimen; powerful ones at that.

But well! He still got his treasure, so it was worth it.

"Hello, Mister Charles!"

The man jumped, before turning around. Sitting on the windowsill was none other than the young girl he had waved goodbye to barely a few hours earlier.

"Why, hello Kaelys!" he smiled brightly at her. _The charm must have worked after all, and she fell for it!_ "Have you forgotten something?"

"Yeah, now that you're asking…" Her own smile suddenly dropped, and the room suddenly became much, much colder. "I forgot to give you this."

She threw something at him. Easily catching it, he then frowned a little when he realized it was a recording Lacrima. Why would he care about that thing-

 _It's cracked._

"It was in the safe, earlier," she informed with obviously false cheer. "You were right, you know? Your father really is the best when counting stories. He has a way with words that keep your attention… _chained_ , for a lack of better terms. He must have _slaved_ away for years to have gotten this good. His office must have become a real _cage_ by the time he was done, wouldn't you agree?"

After a few seconds, the man dropped his warm smile, and fully faced her. "So my father found a way to inform you, then. A pity you no longer have proof of your claims."

"Oh, but I think I do, actually!" she replied, jumping on her feet. She then pulled a few papers out of her bag, and read them over. " _One hundred and thirteen slaves on the last shipment, no trouble. Eighty-five slaves on the shipment for Bosco, trouble with the guards but handled as per usual. Ninety children in the last six months, nine of them died of exhaustion…_ It goes on and on and on, all kinds of reports on pretty much all of your illegal activities." She shrugged. "Slavery, of course, being the main one but also… ah, yes! Fabrication and distribution of drugs, corruption, and even a few assassinations! Let's add to this kidnapping, and torture, and rape…"

She put them back into her bag, which she Requiped away before the man could even think of trying to grab it. She then tapped her chin in wonder.

"Can you even imagine what the authorities would think of this?" she mused. "Names, dates, locations… So much important information, and it'll lead you directly to _ruin._ How does it feel, to know you'll loose everything before the sun goes up again?"

"How did you even find those papers?" he spat through his teeth.

"You told me you weren't a wizard, right?" she replied, shrugging. "Putting magical wards around where you hid those wasn't exactly a wise move, then. Anyhow, shall we get going? As said earlier, I've got a friend to meet up with, and I don't want to waste any more time than I already have."

Using her Telekinesis, she lifted him from the ground. Before she could do anything else, though, something suddenly hit the back of her head.

Darkness instantly took over.

* * *

.

.

Kaelys groaned softly. Her head was hurting like a _bitch._

 **'** **That's what you get for acting so reckless. Why'd you have to stick around once you found the damn papers? You could have simply gotten them to the authorities and be done with it'**

"Then I would have missed the fun part," she retorted, rubbing the back of her head. It was covered in dried blood, and she found herself once again thanking the ever-so-useful healing abilities of the Demon. "What happened?"

 **'** **Dunno. You have the fucking eyepatch on, remember?'**

"Right…"

Slowly, she straightened. As she sat up, though, the distinct sound of metal rattling against the ground echoed. The teen closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

Once.

Twice.

When she opened them again, the dreaded sight welcomed her.

"Chains…" They were around her wrists, and ankles. They were heavy, too, much heavier than they probably should be. "Oh my God…"

 **'** **Breath. Even though seeing you loose it is always funny, now's not the greatest of timings'**

"I know. I know!" she closed her eyes again, breathing deeply to try and keep herself calm. She couldn't loose control, no matter how hard she wanted to. It'd leave her vulnerable, something she couldn't afford right now. "Damn it… I can't feel my Magic either… and they took away my knife…"

 **'** **Magic canceler seals. Nasty thing, let me tell ya. As for the knife, pretty sure he kept it for himself. You calm already?'**

"Yeah," she shuddered a little, focusing on the walls around her. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm fucking peachy, really. How do I get out?"

 **'** **How should I know?'**

"Great help that you are, seriously…"

 **'** **Oi, you're the one who gut us in this damn mess. Get out of it'**

"Right, right…"

Steps suddenly echoed from the darkness. Tensing, she then flinched when a light was suddenly turned on. Once her sight got readjusted to the lighting, she glared the man on the other side of the bars.

"Already awake, uh?" he mused. "Good. Young, strong, rather pretty, heals fast… Yeah, I ought to get a rather high price for you."

"Trust me, you don't want to do that," she answered, tone edgy. "You _really_ don't want to do this."

"Think you're in position to stop me?" he retorted icily, leaning against the bars. "I have sold my own wife and my very son! Do you truly think I'll take pity upon a stranger like you?" He snickered a little. "You're chained down, completely powerless, _at my mercy._ What do you think you could do?"

After a few seconds of tensed silence, the girl suddenly relaxed.

"... completely powerless, you say?"

…

…

…

She started laughing.

Loudly.

Harshly.

It sent a chill down his spine.

It stopped as suddenly as it started.

"I can still think," she replied, her voice now barely loud enough to be heard. "I can still move my whole body. Those chains? They're holding _nothing._ I can still kick, and bite, and fight. I can still talk, I can still stand." Slowly, she started rising to her feet, until her eye met his. "My muscles… I can still control them. My senses are all present. I can still see, touch, hear, smell, taste. I can still feel everything." Her lips stretched into a crooked smile. "I can still scare you. I can still _kill_ you. So, tell me, Mister Charles… Am I really _that_ powerless?"

He couldn't answer, sheer terror slithering in his veins as the killing intent of the teen started suffocating him. She was laughing again, and he understood that everything she had just said… had been terrifyingly true.

He knew she could do it. Hell, he knew she could, _now._

"S-shut up!" He shook his head, hitting violently the metal bars. The noise echoed for a few seconds. " _Shut up!_ You're nothing but a damn pest that I'll soon be ridden off! And when you get taken away, muzzled and tied up like a goddamn pig heading for slaughter, then _I_ shall be the one laughing!"

Her laughter died down instantly, and she stared at him. He was shaking, be it of fright or anger, but he was shaking very badly.

She vanished.

And suddenly, she was before him. Had the bars not been there, she would have touched him.

"Boo."

The proud Lord Tremedia stumbled backward, startled. Loosing his balance, he harshly hit the floor. He forced himself back to his feet, nervously replacing his clothes and still trying to save his dignity.

No use, though. The teen was laughing hysterically again.

"Think you can hold me?" she bellowed, eyes wide, her gaze piercing his skin until he almost felt his blood gush out. "Think you'll be safe while I'm around? Well think again, 'cause you've just brought a true monster in your midst!"

As she kept on laughing, the Lord quickly made his way out of the dungeon, slamming the door behind him.

After a few more seconds, Kaelys was well-forced to stop herself, out of air. As she tried to regain her breath, her body still shaken by a few giggles, Shirokage whistled lowly.

 **'** **Daaaamn, kid. That was one hell of a break down. Err… you good?'**

"Y-yeah…" She shook her head, now a little dizzy. Another giggle escaped her lips, and she muffled it with her hand. "I'm great, even."

 **'** **Do I… even want to know why?'**

She laughed yet again, slowly lifting her hands. "Because… because these chains… they're nothing! T-they're nothing… they can't hold me… Why? Why was I so scared?" Her eyes trailed down the rusty metal, cold against her skin. The longer she looked, though, the harder it was to feel something other than deep _amusement_. "Why should I be scared… when I've faced so much _worst?_ "

 **'** **That's the spirit. Now, you gonna do something about this or what?'**

"I'll wait," she simply replied, sitting down. She wasn't laughing anymore, but the smile just wouldn't leave her lips. "I can wait."

* * *

.

.

Kaelys didn't really know how much time passed. She could tell, thanks to the window, that it was still night, though. She was simply counting the stars when four men came in. One opened the door, another kept guard, and the other two came in her cell to drag her out.

She simply followed, a bounce in her step and the smile still in place.

They headed outside. The night breeze was cool, but the teen ignored it, taking a look at the car waiting in the entrance. They were obviously planning on getting rid of her as quickly as possible, but she didn't really care at the moment. Looking around, her smile only widened when her eyes fell on Lord Tremedia, who was watching from afar.

"So, coming to kiss me goodbye?" she mocked.

"I ought to have known you were completely _insane,"_ he spat, arms crossed over his chest and his fingers forming a vice-like grasp on his sleeves. "The sooner you're gone, the better."

She stared for a few seconds. Then, as one of the men made a move to pull her along towards the car, she moved.

Avoiding his grasp, she brought her leg up and kicked him right under the chin, the strength of the blow breaking his jaw. As he fell back and the other three tried to intervene, the teen avoided the grasp of one, head-butted the second one, and kneed the third one before roughly bringing her tied hands down on his head, the skull cracking because of shackles. The chains tied to them were suddenly pulled by the man she had avoided just before but she simply followed his movement and ran straight into him, making him fall harshly on the ground.

The first one she had taken care of earlier however sprang back into the fight, despite his bloody nose and his misplaced jaw. Grabbing her by behind, he then lifted her from the ground as she kicked her legs around, struggling to free herself. She was about to bite the hand he had placed over her mouth when he suddenly released her.

Landing back on her feet, she was about to punch her opponent when-

"Wait! It's me!"

She stopped, just in time, as she realized it was a very familiar blond who was now facing her.

"Sting!?"

He sighed in relief as she dropped her stance. There was a muffled cry, and the teen tilted her head to see that Rogue was dragging back a very pale Lord Tremedia by the collar of his tailored suit.

"C-c-c-c-come on, c-can't we t-t-t-talk this o-out?"

The Shadow Dragon Slayer ignored him, taking the key hanging from his waist. He threw it at Sting, who caught it and instantly started working on setting the Thief mage free. The shackles hit the ground five seconds later and she roughly rubbed her wrists a few times, before turning to the blubbering, pleading mess that had become their ex-employer.

She crouched next to him, and he stiffened, unable to look away from her eyes.

"I'm not going to kill you," she informed, and he instantly relaxed. "I don't want to break my promise because of scum like you. However…" She hit him in the face. There was a definite 'crack' as he brought his hand to his now broken nose. "I'm not above hurting you. What you've done… There aren't enough words to describe it. Plus, I told you, didn't I? That it would all end before the sun was up." She grabbed her knife from his belt, before rising back to her feet, taking a deep breath. She turned to the other two. "I found all of the documents concerning the slaving system of the Tremedia family. It ought to be enough proof against him."

"Y-you can't stop me!" the man then retorted, his voice high-pitched. "I've got dozens of men keeping guard, they'll free me as soon as we step outside the wards surrounding the mansion!"

"You mean the shady guys we beat up when we broke in?" the White Dragon replied, raising an eyebrow. "Trust me, they won't be of much help."

At that, Charles slumped in defeat. As Rogue carefully tied him up with the very chains and shackles that Kaelys had been wearing a moment earlier, the teen let out a breath of relief.

"Whew, that was eventful."

"That was reckless!" retorted suddenly the blond, whacking her head. "What were you thinking, rushing ahead like that?"

"I just wanted to help!" she protested, pouting a little. Then, she beamed at him. "You guys came back, though, so everything's fine, right?"

"What if we hadn't?" he replied, his eye twitching a little.

"Well… I had the situation under control anyway," she shrugged.

Sting hit her again. "Baka!"

"Ow, ow, ow… Look, I'm sorry- _OW!_ Stop hitting me al- _stop it!_ "

Rogue watched with mild amusement as the two bickered. He had never seen someone other than himself handle Sting like that, which proved to be rather entertaining. And of course, he never saw his twin so openly care about another before, one they barely even knew at that. His best friend was extremely loyal and caring when it came to his close friends –basically Lector, himself and so Frosch by extension-, but rather cold to others. So, seeing him getting worked up over the young Fairy was quite the sight.

"Kaelys-san," he finally decided to step in before it got too out of hands. "Would you mind handing over these documents? We will bring him and the proofs to the Magic Knights without further delay."

"Uh? Sure."

She Requiped her bag, and gave him the numerous papers. He tucked them carefully in his cloak, before pulling the slaver up to his feet.

"So, where do we find those Magic Knights?" then asked the teen, curious.

"We will bring him back directly to Crocus," answered the black-haired mage.

"That's the Capital, right?" Kaelys faintly remembered hearing of it. "Isn't it a bit far?"

"It's on our way," replied Sting with a shrug. "Though that shouldn't matter to you, really."

"What? Why?"

"'Cause you're not coming, duh."

"But-"

"You said you had a friend to meet up with, right?" then remarked Lector. The teen blinked, startled for a second. When did the cats got here? "Then you shouldn't let them wait any longer."

"But…"

"Don't worry, Kaelys-san," Rogue said softly, placing an hand on her shoulder. She instantly tensed, but forced herself to relax. "We'll handle it. We'll make sure that this whole system is taken care of and that all of the culprits get arrested too."

"I… Alright," she gave in. "If you're certain-"

"Someone's coming!" warned Sting, clenching his fist.

The other two wizards instantly fell in stance, ready to attack. As the door of the mansion flew open, though, Kaelys relaxed. She recognized the newcomer as the maid that had greeted her at her arrival. The woman had dropped her blank expression and was staring at the defeated, tied up Lord with something akin to disbelief and hope.

"… are you here to stop him?" Her voice was cracked, coarse by the lack of used. "Is it- is it really over?"

At that, Kaelys smiled a little, and patted her shoulder. "Yeah, it is. Say, what's your name?"

At that, the woman lowered her head, obviously ashamed. The Twin Dragons exchanged a confused glance, but the teen simply nodded in understanding. Then, she gently brought the maid in her embrace.

"Don't worry, it'll come back to you," she assured, starting to rub circles on her back. "How long have you been in the mansion?"

"I-I don't- I don't k-know…" The woman started shaking.

"It's okay, don't worry," the Thief mage kept on rubbing her back. "It's over, I promise it's over. You're free now, alright? You're free."

Kaelys kept on murmuring those words in her ears, and the woman simply broke down, crying in relief. The Dragon Slayers simply kept a respectful silence, now understanding what this was all about.

Behind them, the sun started rising.

* * *

.

.

All of the henchmen of Lord Tremedia were put in the cells under the mansion and the maid accepted to keep watch along with the other ex-slaves until the Magic Knights showed up to take them into custody. It'd take a few days before they could finally leave, but those people had waited _years_ before seeing the day without chains binding their minds; they could wait a few more days.

The three mages and the two Exceeds were now back at the train station. Seeing as they were heading in different directions, it was time for goodbyes.

"Is Lys already leaving?" Fro wondered, lip quivering.

"Aw, don't cry, little guy," she replied, patting his head. "We'll see each other again, alright? And if it takes too much time, you can always annoy Rogue until he agrees to let you come to Magnolia and visit!"

"Really?"

"Really!"

They both ignored how Rogue groaned in defeat.

"Don't get into any more trouble, Daredevil," Sting then warned, roughly ruffling her hair.

She swatted his hand away, before frowning. "Daredevil?"

"Suits you," he smirked.

"Oh, okay. Well, don't get your arrogance be your downfall, Blondie."

"That's kind of dark," he sweatdropped.

"Lector, you keep an eye on him, alright?" she then turned to the cat.

"Yes ma'am!" he saluted.

"Good. I won't ask Rogue, since he's basically the official babysitter of the team," she nodded to herself.

That earned her an uncharacteristic snort from the Shadow mage. There was suddenly a call from the train, the last warning for the passengers to get onboard. The teen quickly climbed on, before offering a peace sign to her new friends.

"Make sure he gets what he deserves!"

"Will do!"

The train started moving, and she simply waved goodbye until they were no longer in sight.

"Oh, I forgot to ask her about the Grand Magic Games…" then remarked Sting.

"Well, I doubt Fairy Tail will pass on the chance anyway."

"True."

* * *

.

.

Kaelys looked at the building before her. Then at the paper in her hands. Then back to the building.

 **'** **This place gives me the creeps'**

It was quite big, much bigger than Fairy Tail's current Guildhall. There were many windows, a few in heart shapes. It seemed awfully clean and, most of all, the walls were fricking _pink._

"Maybe I should turn back now…"

"Oh, are you lost, sweetheart?"

The teen turned around to see a beautiful woman now standing behind her. She was quite tall, surely a model if her confident stance was anything to go by. Looking closer, she realized that she also had the blue Pegasus mark...

"I'm here to see a friend," the teen answered. "You're from the Guild, right? Can you help me?"

"Sure!" beamed the woman. "I'm Jenny. What's your name?"

"Kaelys."

They shook hands, until the woman stiffened. The Thief mage didn't move as the woman took a closer look at her face, tensed and ready to run if needed. However, contrarily to what she first believed, the woman simply gasped, surprised.

"Wait, are you _that_ Kaelys?"

"… is there another?"

"Aw, you sure are!" Next thing she knew, Kaelys was suffocating, trapped in a tight embrace. "Wow, Sora-chan sure wasn't kidding when she said you were cute!"

The black-haired girl managed to free herself somehow, and stumbled back a little, startled by the sudden attitude.

"Do we know each other?"

"Ah, no, no," Jenny chuckled, a little sheepishly. "Sorry about that. I was simply surprised, you know? I never thought I'd get to meet you, after you guys… disappeared…" Her eyes suddenly widened. "Oh God, you're _back!"_

"Obviously. So… mind explaining a little? 'Cause I don't know anyone named Sora," informed the teen, confused.

"Oh, right… Well, I can guess that's who you came to see anyway," replied the woman, gently nudging her towards the entrance. "Angel, right?"

"Oh! So Sora is her real name?" suddenly understood the Fairy.

"Sorano, actually," she corrected, smiling again. "She's going to be so happy to see you! She… oh, well, I'll let her explain everything. Come on, let's go inside already! I gotta warn you, though, the men of our Guild are a little…"

The door suddenly swung open, and a bunch of men swarmed outside.

"JENNY-CHAN~!"

"Loud?" completed Kaelys as they got surrounded.

The woman laughed a little again, simply guiding her through the crowd gathering around, obviously too used to this kind of welcome by now. They somehow managed to get inside but, as soon as the doors closed behind them-

"Oh, Jenny-chan, who's this young lady~?"

Kaelys stared.

And stared.

And stared.

"… what?"

 **'** **I… have no words'**

"Is he a man? Or a woman?" The teen was thoroughly confused. "Maybe both? Wait, can someone be both? Oh my gosh, my head's hurting…"

"Aw, she's so cute!" grinned the… person. "I am Master Bob, pleased to meet you! What's your name, sweetie?"

"Oh, he's the Master then… well, I'm Kaelys," she answered, extending her hand to him. "I was simply hoping if I could see my friend? Err…" She glanced to Jenny, having forgotten the name.

"She's here to see Sora-chan," informed the model, smiling.

"Oh, yes, yes! Master Makarov called me this very morning to inform me!" the Master nodded. "However, Sora-chan isn't here at the moment. She went on another mission with the Trimens, you see? They should be back in a few hours, though. Why don't you come and sit with me in the meantime?"

"Well, not like I'm going back without seeing her…" the teen thought it over, before looking back at him. "Say, why weren't you surprised? Miss Jenny didn't know we were back when we met outside."

"I was gone for a two-week long mission," answered the woman. "I guess I simply wasn't around when Master Bob gave the good news."

"Sora-chan and the Trimens have too been gone for quite a while, so they haven't been informed as of yet either," added the man, a twinkle in his eyes. "This is going to be such a wonderful surprise!"

"Oh, can I just make a call?" Kaelys suddenly remembered. "Gotta warn my friends I got here safely."

"Of course, of course. We'll be waiting upstairs~" On which he twirled on himself and climbed up the stairs in a record time with way too much grace for a man of his stature.

"Right…"

Jenny patted her head, before following after him. Kaelys stared at her for a moment, once again amazed at the sheer confidence she could feel emanating from her, before shaking her head and taking out her Lacrima.

After a few seconds, Lucy answered.

 **"** **Hey, Kae!"**

"Hi, Lucy-nee. I'm at Blue Pegasus right now, and everything's fine. Angel is out right now, but she'll be back soon, and I'll see her then," explained the girl.

 **"** **That's great. Did your mission went well?"**

"I, err…" Right, she hadn't thought about what she would say to the others. "I… accomplished the mission, and I got the reward in full! It was rather easy, so all's fine!"

She wasn't exactly lying, was she?

 **"** **Awesome! Erik, Macbeth and I are going on a mission with Natsu and Happy, so we probably won't be back before you. You know where the key's hidden, right?"**

"Lucy-nee, _I'm_ the one who hid it," the teen rolled her eyes.

 **"** **Right, right… There's also food in the fridge, okay? And there's also a few jewels hidden in my room if needed, and-"**

This time, Kaelys laughed. "Lucy-nee, I'm not even back to the Guild yet. Stop worrying so much, alright? Everything's fine."

 **"** **I know, I know… Oh, I gotta go, the train's here. Call if you need anything, okay?"**

"Will do. Love you, Lucy-nee."

 **"** **Love you too, Kae."**

The both then hug up. Satisfied, the Thief mage put the Lacrima back in her pocket, before heading upstairs to join Master Bob and Jenny. As she went up, her stomach growled.

 **'** **Hungry much?'**

"I think I'll ask for some food, too," replied the teen, a little sheepish.

* * *

.

.

"They're back!"

"The Trimens are back!"

 _"SORA-CHAN!"_

"Oh, Ichiya-sama is here too!"

"Ah, I missed you, Sora-chan!"

At the numerous calls and shouts, Kaelys glanced at the door, around which were quickly gathering the crowd of fanboys from earlier. Obviously, the team was back, and she was growing excited. After all this time, she'd finally see Angel again.

The doors opened, letting first enter a short man with very familiar air. He was ugly, but at the same time kind of handsome, and it honestly freaked Kaelys out. After him came in three other familiar men, ones she easily recognized as those who had participated in the destruction of Nirvana and Oración Seis. To her surprised, they hadn't changed a bit in the last seven years.

Finally, Angel came in. She too hadn't changed much, saved for the fact that she was wearing even less clothes than before.

 **'** **Damn, you sure got hot friends'**

"Not now, Shiro," she grunted, before glancing back down.

Angel was obviously happy. She was smirking, enjoying the attention, but Kaelys easily noticed the softness in her eyes. It was one she had rarely gotten a glimpse of during their time in the Dark Guild; one that suited her.

"Sora-chan!" suddenly called Jenny, waving at her from the balcony.

"Jenny-chan!" answered the woman, waving back. "Master Bob!"

"Sora-chan, someone's here to see you," then announced the Master, smiling.

"Oh? Another fan, maybe? Well, I'll gladly…"

The white-haired mage stopped talking as Kaelys stepped in her line of sight. She gaped, frozen in place, and an heady silence fell upon the whole Guild. Kaelys casually floated down from the balcony, and landed before her.

"Hey, Angel… Or Sorano, right?"

"K-Kae… lys…?" The woman brushed her fingers against her cheek, obviously not believing she was there.

Kaelys smiled. "I'm back."

A choked sob escaped the ex-Celestial mage. She slapped her hands over her mouth to muffle the nose, but nothing could hide the tears that started running down her cheeks.

After a few seconds, she smiled weakly. "W-welcome back…"

After what, unable to hold it in any longer, she started crying.

* * *

 _Seven Years Ago_

 _Blue Pegasus Guild_

Angel was pissed. Or rather lonely. And kind of angry. As she gazed upon her guildmates, she couldn't help but think about what had happened a few months earlier.

Oración Seis had been defeated, Nirvana had been destroyed, and she had even lost her keys to that blonde mage. Everyone had been arrested and brought before the Magic Council, everyone but Kaelys. The teen had been taken to Fairy Tail, something for which all the members were grateful.

That, and they knew there wouldn't be much left of the prison or themselves if the teen ever lost control.

Anyhow, it had been a great shock when they received the offer. Join one of the three Guilds that had helped defeating them, or rot in a cell? The choice had been an easy one to make. Of course, they had all thought about simply escaping and getting back together once the chance presented itself, but they were then informed that they would not be allowed to all join the same Guild.

And, somehow, they found themselves buying this second chance bullshit.

Cobra and Midnight chose to join Fairy Tail, so as to keep an eye on Kaelys. Technically, she could have done so too, but she'd rather not face the Celestial mage that kicked her ass so soon after her bitter defeat. She _could_ have gone for Lamia Scale along with Racer and Hoteye, but the pink-haired bimbo annoyed her to no end, so that had been a big no-no. All that was left was Blue Pegasus and, let's be honest, she never minded seeing handsome and refined men around –something Oración Seis had obviously been lacking-.

The beginning of her probation had been hard, to be honest. She was alone, but never on her own. She had to follow Jenny everywhere, since she was the one handling her probation and progress. They weren't getting along at all and how she could actually be considered her rival unsettled her. Worst of all, Jenny was the only one who actually talked to her! No one in the Guild wanted to associate with an ex-criminal, and even the Trimens were too wary to try and approach her. Only Master Bob was nice, and he freaked her out, so that wasn't exactly a plus.

If only Oración Seis was still together! She'd never miss Brain, or the dump they were living in, and even less how they were always chased around. However, she did miss the familiarity, the companionship. Her ex-guildmates were perfect jerks most of the time, but they all knew her pain, they all shared it. They were all from the same place, had the same nightmares, and they all _understood._ Kaelys had been a somewhat different story, but she ended up becoming as much a part of their fucked-up group as everyone else.

 _Kaelys…_

Angel stared at her glass of water. It was half-empty, but she wasn't thirsty anymore, simply longing. When was the last time she saw the girl? Was she alright? She knew Cobra and Midnight would watch out for her, but still… Plus, Fairy Tail surely was much different, so how was the teen coping?

The more she thought about Kaelys, the more depressed she got.

"Damn assholes of the Magic Council…" she bit out, hands clenching tightly. She wasn't living in a cell, but the loneliness was all the same. "They understand _nothing…"_

What would happen if she tried to run? Right here, right now? If she made a break for it, she could easily escape the Guild and go on her own. Then, she could find everyone and they could all be together again, _free_ again!

 _No,_ she shook her head. _I can't do that. Not if… not if_ they _managed to find their happiness in all of this._

Because while Angel could be a selfish bitch, she wasn't selfish enough to steal her only friends' happiness to make her own.

She gazed at her new guildmates once again, her anger dying down and leaving place to an unsupportable emptiness. They were chatting, laughing… Without a care in the world, really. Damn, what she'd give to feel like that…

"Angel?"

She stiffened, glancing to the Master. He was as scary as ever, really, but there was a guarded expression in his eyes at the moment.

"What is it?" she grunted, not in the mood for pleasantries.

"Please… come with me to my office."

Instantly, worry took over. As she silently followed him, she started internally panicking. What if they told her she wasn't making enough progress? What if they had enough of her and sent her back?

As soon as the door of the office closed behind them, she gave in.

"Are you sending me back?"

"W-what?" He seemed startled, obviously not expecting her to ask.

"T-the prison." She looked down, gripping tightly her arms. "Are you… sending me back?"

"No, of course not!"

Relief washed over her. Better rot in here than in a cell, really.

She relaxed, before finally noticing the presence of Jenny. She scowled a bit, and the woman returned the favor.

"What is it, then?" she instantly returned to her usual attitude.

"Angel…" Master Bob sighed, sitting down. "You probably haven't heard of it, but Fairy Tail holds an exam each year for those who wish to become S-Class mages. This year, it was held on their sacred island. However-"

"Okay, I really couldn't care less about history," she rolled her eyes.

"However," he pursued, unperturbed. "Something has happened to them. All of the mages that were taking the exam this year, including the Third Master… have disappeared. And that…" He lowered his head. "Your three friends, Midnight, Cobra and Truth, have all disappeared along with them."

There was a moment of silence, and her mask of indifference fell slightly.

"… what?" Her voice was no more than a whisper.

"The island completely vanished," he precised. "And… there has been no sign of life from any of the mages. I'm… truly sorry, for your loss."

"N-no…" She laughed a little, forcefully. "No, that- that's utterly ridiculous. T-they can't just be _gone_ … n-not like that, not _them…"_ She took a step back. "Y-you're lying! You're fucking lying! People don't just vanish, damn it! What was it, uh? Another ploy of that damned Council? Are they planning on killing me too, uh!? And of course you'd help them, why wouldn't you?" She gripped her hair, pulling on it, backing away until her back hit the door. "Who'd care about us anyway, uh? We're just fucking criminals, not even worth enough to be called humans! What's it to you, if we all get killed like fucking pigs!? We're nobodies, monsters, we're nothing…" She choked a little. "When is it going to happen, uh? When will you do it? When are you going to kill me too? Tell me! TELL ME, DAMN IT!"

Jenny crossed the room, and stopped before her.

Then, she slapped her.

Angel stared at the woman, wide-eyed, her insults dying on her tongue. Then, she noticed the dampness of the woman's eyes. Jenny grabbed her shoulders and, before she could understand what was going on, she was brought in her arms.

"I'm sorry," she simply stated, hugging her tightly. "I'm so, so sorry."

At that, Angel stopped denying the truth. She collapsed to her knees, and Jenny kneeled along with her, holding her as she cried until she no longer had tears to shed.

* * *

 _Back to present day_

 _Blue Pegasus Guild_

"So the other two are all right too, then?"

"Everyone is. Honestly, we didn't even know we missed seven years until we woke up," shrugged the teen.

"Still, I'm so glad you're okay," Sorano sighed, pulling her into yet another hug. "We searched for months for you, but you were all just… gone."

"I'm glad to see you again, too," smiled Kaelys. "You know, to be honest, I completely forgot about you guys for a while. Many things happened and life with Fairy Tail is kind of hectic. You know, it was Lucy-nee's idea to get you guys out too! She's the one who proposed the idea to Master, who then sent it to the Council!"

"Lucy-nee?" Echoed the white-haired woman. "You mean the Celestial mage?"

"Yup!"

Sorano quickly squished down the mild jealousy that aroused at the name the teen gave to the blonde. After all, they hadn't seen each other for a long time, so of course Kaelys would find herself opening up to other people more. Plus, in a way, it truly was great! That meant Kaelys was finally getting better.

"What happened to your eye anyway?" the ex-member of Oración Seis then scowled a little, gesturing to the eyepatch. It was pretty, but its significance was quite clear. "Tell me Cobra was involved, I'll gladly rip his own out."

"Ah ah, no, nothing like that…" Chuckled nervously the teen, brushing her fingers against the eyepatch. "It's… kind of a long story. And a Guild secret too. Kind of. Also, his name is actually Erik."

Sorano stared at her for a second, before smirking a little. "You learned to keep your mouth shut, then? And what's Midnight's name, then?"

"Still working on it," admitted the girl, rubbing the back of her head. "And his true name's Macbeth."

The woman snorted at that.

Suddenly, the second floor was flood with sweet music and sparkles. A moment later, Kaelys was surrounded by floating hearts and pink.

So, so much _pink_.

"My graceful lady." The girl startled when a man suddenly grabbed her hand. "Will we have the chance of enjoying more of your company?"

A second one grabbed her other hand. "Give me a minute of your time and I'll be the happiest man on earth."

A third one placed his hand on her shoulders. "Give me a second, and I'll give you my eternity."

Before the teen could properly react, Sorano pulled her out of their grasps, and protectively put her behind her.

"You dumbasses!" she snapped. "Hibiki, she's way too young for you! Eve, she's not dating you if I can help it! And Ren, I can't believe I'm saying this _again_ but damn it! You've got a girlfriend already!"

 **'** **Ugh, creeps'**

"Don't I know it," shuddered the teen. She then took a closer look at the three now apologetic men. "Oh, wait… you're those guys from the alliance, aren't you? The Trimens, right?"

Instantly, they gained back their vivacity.

"Eve!"

"Ren!"

"Hibiki!"

"To your service," they concluded with a bow.

"Right…" The girl glanced to Sorano, who was pinching the bridge of her nose with a mildly exasperated expression. "That's your team?"

"Kind of… Master Bob doesn't like it when we take solo missions, so they always get me to tag along," answered the woman with a sigh.

"So harsh, Sora-chan," whined Hibiki.

"So true, Hibi-kun," she replied with the same tone.

As they bickered, Kaelys simply watched them. Obviously, the white-haired woman was extremely comfortable with them. In fact, the Thief mage could easily tell she liked them.

Well, if Ang- _Sorano_ , liked them, then surely she would be able to feel the same way.

* * *

.

.

"It was good seeing you again."

"Same."

The two hugged once more. It felt as if they had been doing just that, which was kind of out of character for the two. However, years had passed and both had changed greatly.

"Drop by any time, okay? And maybe we can plan to have a mission together, you know, the whole gang?" proposed Sorano. "Like old times."

"Yeah, that could be fun," agreed Kaelys, enjoying the idea. "I'll bring it up to Master Makarov, and Erik and Macbeth. You can come to visit too, right?"

"Of course I can. I-"

 _"Wait!"_

At Master Bob's exclamation, both froze. Blinking, they looked up to the man, only to see him waving cheerfully.

"Master?" wondered Sorano, confused.

"It's Master Makarov! He wishes to speak with Kaelys dear."

The two exchanged a look, and the ex-Celestial mage simply shrugged, before the two of them headed back to the Master's office.

Once they arrived, they found Bob already seated at his desk, the Trimens and Jenny waiting in the room. They all smiled at the two girls when seeing them, and Kaelys couldn't help but notice how that team was surely the elite of Blue Pegasus, if the trust their Master had in them was anything to go by.

Kaelys took the seat in front of the giant Lacrima on the desk, and Master Bob activated it, calling Makarov. After a few seconds, the old man picked up.

 **"** **Kaelys, my child. I am glad to see you are well,"** he greeted.

"Everything's great, Master. What's going on?"

He sighed, looking down. **"I am afraid… It is not good news that I am bearing."**

"Wait, is everyone alright?" she paled. "Are they-"

 **"** **Everyone is perfectly fine,"** he assured, smiling a little. His smile quickly dropped, though, and he sighed yet again. **"Listen, Kaelys, and please stay calm: Doctor Shawn has escaped the prison."**

The teen took a sharp intake of breath. She might never be able to remember his name, but she would always recognize it.

"T-that… that can't be," she leaned back in her seat, gulping a little. "He was- he was under watch, right? His sentence was for life, wasn't it? Then why… why…"

 **"** **We do not have the details, but I have just been informed of this by the Magic Council. He apparently evaded three years ago, though. As of right now, we have no clue concerning his location. And, seeing as the word of our return is quickly spreading…"**

"He'll know I'm back too," she understood, feeling sick. "But he's… do you really think… he'll try something again?"

 **"** **I am afraid it is a possibility we have to consider. Master Bob?"**

"Y-yes?" Obviously, everyone else in the room was very confused.

 **"** **This man we are talking about is an extremely dangerous person. He is targeting Kaelys, and is also mentally... unstable. I am afraid he might go after her now that he has heard of her return."**

"I understand. We can provide her an escort back to your Guild," proposed the Master, falling serious. "Her security will be assured."

"No!"

They all stared at Kaelys. Her chair had fallen, one of the legs splintered due to a slight loss of control, but she didn't care at the moment.

"No," she repeated, taking a deep breath. "I won't have any of them brought into this. Master, I can go back to the Guild by myself."

 **"** **I understand your position, Kaelys, but I cannot allow you to come back on your own,"** refused Makarov. **"It is too dangerous. Surely, you remember his Magic, don't you? You wouldn't stand a chance."**

"I know that! I- I know that…" She clenched her fist. "But I still can't accept to have them put in danger because of this. They have nothing to do with this situation and, if he really is after me, then that monster will stop at nothing to get what he wants. I can't risk their lives like that."

 **"…** **then I will send an escort from Fairy Tail to fetch you and bring you back,"** he gave in, somewhat. **"Unfortunately, most have left on different missions…"**

"She can stay here for as long as needed," offered Bob.

Relief and gratefulness shone in the old man's voice. **"Thank you, old friend. Kaelys?"**

"H-hai?"

 **"** **The team I will send should be there by tomorrow morning. If anything happens, then do not hesitate to call me."**

"Understood. Thank you, Master."

 **"** **Of course. Stay safe, my child."**

The communication ended, and an heavy silence followed. Kaelys slowly picked up the chair, and glanced at Master Bob.

"Sorry about that."

"No worries, sweetie. Sora-chan, Jenny-chan? Would you mind keeping her with you until her team comes for her?" he asked.

"Obviously," replied Sorano, crossing her arms over her chest. "Though I expect some more details, Kaelys. Who's the creep?"

She averted her gaze. "That… too, is kind of a long story."

Jenny simply grinned, somewhat bitterly. "Well, good thing we've got time, isn't it?"

* * *

.

.

"… and that's basically it."

Silence fell upon the little group.

She had ended up spilling the beans about the incident seven years ago, though she didn't go into the details when it came to the past she shared with the Doctor. She told them the basics, like how he tortured her for two years before she managed to escape, and how she found herself up in Earthland and joined Oración Seis. After what, she explained with more precision how he turned mad, how he kidnapped her and how Fairy Tail rescued her. She had been careful in giving as much information as she could when it came to his abilities. After all, the more they knew, the safer they were.

Master Bob sighed heavily, drawing everyone's attention.

"You find yourself in quite the situation, uh?" He then offered her a smile. "But do not worry, Kaelys dear. We will be extremely careful, and keep an eye out for you."

"Thank you. But please, don't put yourself in unnecessary danger. The less he can use against me, the better," she pointed out.

"Of course. We will-"

Suddenly, without a word, Sorano jumped to her feet and walked out of the office, slamming the door behind her. Kaelys jumped a little at the noise, eyes wide.

"Why is she angry…?" she mumbled, confused and maybe a little hurt.

"She's not angry, Kaelys."

"Gah!" she startled, moving away from Hibiki. "When the hell did you get here?"

He chuckled a little at that, before turning serious once more.

"Sorano isn't angry. She feels guilty," he then assured. "You should probably go talk to her before your Guild gets here."

"… yeah. Thanks, Hibiki."

"Of course, Kae-chan~!"

As he returned to his normal self, the teen quickly exited the office. At first, she wasn't sure about which directions to take. Remarking she seemed a little lost, one of the Blue Pegasus members quickly came to her aid, and kindly told her where Sorano had stormed off. After thanking the man profusely, she wasted no time in stepping outside.

As told, the white-haired woman was sitting under the shade of a tree, her eyes lost into the sky.

"A- Sorano?" Kaelys bit her lower lip, approaching the woman. "Are you… okay?"

An unusual snort escaped the older mage. "You're the one who's life is in danger and you're asking me if I'm okay?"

"… are you angry at me?"

At that, her friend's eyes widened slightly, before she finally looked at Kaelys. "What? No, of course not!"

She knew Hibiki told her it wasn't the case, but it was still nice to have the confirmation. Relaxing, she then went to sit next to Sorano.

"Then what is it? Why'd you storm out like that?" she wondered.

At that, Sorano lowered her head. After a few seconds of silence, though, Kaelys realized her shoulders were shaking.

"Sora-"

"Because I should have _been_ there!" she finally let out. "I should have been there to help you! And now- now that monster's back, and I can't even try and protect you! How am I supposed to feel, knowing you're in danger but I can't do anything about it? Knowing you _were_ in danger and I only learnt about it _seven years later!?"_

A broken sob escaped her lips. Frowning, Kaelys then got up to face the woman. Without hesitation, she grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it up.

At that, Sorano made a face. "Kaelys, what are you… doing…"

She trailed off, only then noticing the big, ugly scar that covered a good part of the girl's stomach. There were electrical burns all around, and the wound had probably been extremely deep too.

"What… Did he- did he do that…?" Sorano felt sick.

"No."

A moment passed.

"Uh?" blinked the woman, confused. "Then how…"

"Magnolia was captured by crazy psychos in need of Magic and transformed into a gigantic Lacrima, which was then brought to another world called Edolas," counted the purple-eyed girl. "Long story short, Fairy Tail kicked their asses and we managed to come back safe and sound. However… However, in one of the fights, my opponent managed to catch me and stabbed me with her spear, before electrocuting me with it."

"What!?"

 **'Man, that was _awesome'_**

"I can't tell you how I survived, but I did. The point is, though… Is it your fault?"

"U-uh?"

The teen narrowed her eyes at Sorano. "Is it your fault? That I was hurt like this?"

"W-well, I don't-"

"No. The answer is _no._ Because you weren't there, you didn't know, you _couldn't_ know and even if you had been there, you wouldn't have been able to help me just like everyone else couldn't when it happened," concluded

"O-okay. Okay, _fine."_ Sorano wiped away the few tears that had gathered in her eyes. "It's not fault. Happy?"

At that, Kaelys smiled. "Very."

Satisfied, the teen put her shirt back in place before going to sit next to her friend once again. They kept silent for a while, enjoying the warmth of the sun and the small breeze.

"I'll keep an eye out for him." Blinking, the teen glanced to the woman, who now harbored a determined expression. "Contact old informants, see if I can dig up any info. If I find anything, you'll be the first to know."

"… thank you. Though, be careful, alright?"

"Sure thing."

Glad things had been cleared up at last, Kaelys then placed her head on the woman's shoulder, tired. Closing her eyes, and knowing Sorano had her back, she didn't hesitate in letting herself succumb to sleep.

* * *

 **Okay, I gotta admit: that is probably my favorite chapter right now. I really liked writing Kaelys's little speeches, and also he kind-of breakdown. But hey, she's getting better, isn't she? But of course, problems are never far, I'm afraid.**

 **I added that part with Sorano's reaction at the demand of NightShock99. Hope you liked it!**

 **What'd you think? Don't forget to review!**

 **Thank you!**


	36. Nightmares & Despair

**Well, it sure has been a while, uh? I'm sorry for being so late. To be honest, it was partly because I was stuck in a writer's block, and partly because I didn't have the time to do anything about it. Things are going slowly, so it might take long again before I post another chapter, but know this: I am NOT abandoning this story.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

"What is it, old man?"

Makarov's eye twitched a little, before he sighed. Now was not the time to beat some manners into his grandson and, honestly, he didn't feel like it either.

"First of all… I… accept, your reinstatement into the Guild," he informed, the announcement leaving a bitter taste of defeat in his mouth.

He was a stubborn man, after all. Accepting Laxus back so easily felt like giving up on his point. He didn't know for how long he had intended for his punishment to last, but he knew that, under different circumstances, it would have lasted much longer than that. However, he had heard Kaelys's words, back on Tenroujima, and they _did_ leave a mark on him. In the end, though, despite his wounded pride, the sudden warmth that filled his old heart felt worth it.

Oh, and his grandson's dumbstruck face, too.

"… have you gone mad?" finally asked Laxus, gaping.

"Oi, show some gratefulness, brat!" snapped the Master, a vein pumping on his forehead. He took a few deep breaths, before sitting on his desk. "I… merely thought it over. And, as another of my children so well said… Everyone makes mistakes, even family. You have learnt, and grown, and I… couldn't be prouder, Laxus. Do forgive this old man for being so stubborn, ne?"

The blond stared at him for a few seconds, before snorting and shaking his head.

"Whatever. Thanks, I guess."

Makarov, relieved it was over and done with, quickly gained back his main focus. After all, he hadn't simply accepted his stupid grandson back merely because he wanted to.

"I must be honest, there is another reason behind my change of thoughts," he admitted.

"Thought so too." The Lightning Dragon Slayer rolled his eyes. "What's going on?"

"One of ours is currently in danger," the Master cut to the chase. "You remember Kaelys, right?" Laxus nodded, frowning, and he pursued. "During the seven years we were gone, a man evaded Fiore's most secured prison. His name is Doctor Shawn and… he's insane, Laxus. He has targeted Kaelys in the past, and I'm afraid he might try something again, now that the kingdom is slowly learning of our return."

"Where is she, then?"

"She went to see an old friend, at Blue Pegasus," answered his grandfather. "I told her to stay there until one of our teams went to act as her escort. I cannot have her coming back alone."

"The chibi's strong, though. She stood up to _Hades_ and almost _won._ Is that guy really so dangerous?"

At the grave expression on the old man's face, though, the answer was easy to guess. With a sigh, Laxus ran an hand through his hair, before rising to his feet.

"Alright, I'll tell the rest of the team," he accepted. "Blue Pegasus, right? We'll have her back in no time."

"I'm counting on you. Thank you, Laxus."

"Sure thing. Oh, and don't worry too much, alright? It'd be bad for your health, old man."

"YOU DAMN BRAT-"

Laxus closed the door behind him as his grandfather's fist almost crashed into him, and snorted. The old man's temper really was as explosive as ever and, to be honest, he felt kind of light on his feet. Never had he thought Makarov would let him back in the Guild so easily, after all.

 _He must be really worried if he's actually removing my banishment, of all things._

That _did_ put a damper on his good mood, and he quickly went back downstairs to find the rest of his team to fill them in.

* * *

His three teammates did _not_ react well to the news. Obviously, they knew more than he did about the mysterious threat. However, seeing as the situation was quite urgent, he managed to keep his questions for until they left Magnolia.

As soon as they settled on the train, though, he no longer held back.

"What exactly _is_ going on?" he asked, somewhat annoyed to be left in the dark like that. "Who's that Doctor?"

"He's…" Freed and Bickslow exchanged a look, unsure of how to put it.

Evergreen sighed. "Do you know anything at all about Kaelys? Or even Erik or Macbeth, for that matter?"

"Err, no?"

"This… is going to be a long story." The woman thought it over for a moment, searching her words, before deciding to simply go for it. "When Kaelys was eleven, she was left by her mother in an asylum due to a bad case of schizophrenia. She spent the following two years in there and, from what we've gathered… it wasn't pretty. Most of her scars come from that place, and the doctor in charge at the time, Doctor Shawn, slowly became hell-bent on 'healing' her. Kaelys managed to escape after those two years and… well, somehow ended up in our world, Earthland."

"She's from another world?"

"Much like Edolas," confirmed Freed, before pursuing. "Anyhow, she was found by the Master of Oración Seis, one of the three Dark Guilds composing the Balam Alliance. She spent a year with them, until the Nirvana mission –of which you surely have heard."

"Let me guess, Gramps offered her to stay in Fairy Tail?"

"It was actually Cosplayer, but Master went along with it," confirmed Bickslow. "After a month or so, though, there was an incident. Long story first, she got caught by the Doctor who basically kidnapped her and brought her back to their world. He was completely mad, though. Apparently, he massacred loads of people to try and find a 'cure' for Kaelys. He's become obsessed with her!"

"That's… just messed up."

Arms crossed over his chest, Laxus thought over this new information. He had already guessed that that chibi wasn't the most mentally stable person, but he hadn't really cared to look deeper into it at the time.

"What do we know of this mad Doctor?" he then asked.

"Black Holes Magic," instantly answered Freed. "Mostly used as shields, he however can't defend two things at the same time. Of course, considering that seven years have actually passed since then, I wouldn't put aside the possibility that he has grown stronger and discovered new abilities."

"So we're basically blind?"

"Basically, yes."

"Just _great."_ After another moment of silence, he sighed. "How's the chibi handling it?"

"Well…" Evergreen bit her lower lip, fanning herself. "Considering that we haven't heard of Blue Pegasus imploding as of yet, I'd say she's doing alright."

At that, the leader of the Thunder God Tribe sweatdropped a little, and even more so when the other two nodded merely in agreement.

Obviously, the chibi had more issues than he first thought.

* * *

.

.

When they finally reached the Guild, it was nearing noon.

As soon as they stepped in, they were greeted by the Annoying Trio, who instantly tried to sway Evergreen. The woman simply hit them with her fan, not in the mood for such trivialities. Understanding this, they dropped the act and quickly led them to the Master's office.

"She… hasn't spoken much, since receiving the news," informed Hibiki as they stopped before the door. "She doesn't seem unstable, if that's what's worrying you. Just… deep in thoughts, I guess."

The four Fairies exchanged a glance. After all, as all in Fairy Tail now knew fairly well –maybe saved for Laxus-, the teen always thought out loud. For her to be silent like that really wasn't a good sign.

Hibiki pushed the door open and stepped in. They found two women talking in a low tone on the couch, and the teen sitting in the middle, her head leaning on the white-haired one's shoulder as the woman combed her fingers through her hair. It didn't escape anyone how she tensed as the door opened, obviously ready to spring into action at any sign of a threat. No one commented on it, though.

"Kaelys-chan, your friends are here!" informed Eve, smiling at the teen.

"Uh?" She relaxed, and her eye then fell on the little group. Instantly, the blank face that had greeted broke into a smile. "Ever! Bickslow! Laxus! And… err…"

The Seith mage snorted, and Freed slumped slightly in defeat. It would seem that, no matter how many times they told her, she would never be able to remember his name.

The teen jumped on her feet to greet them, beaming. Ever hugged the teen with a small smile. Bickslow then bumped fists with her, and she hugged the green-haired man, who somewhat returned the gesture with a simple pat on the head, before she turned to Laxus.

He took a mild step back. "No hugging, chibi. I mean it."

"Okay!" She settled for grinning at him.

If anyone noticed the tiredness written all over her face, none said a word.

She turned to the members of Blue Pegasus, and bowed before the Master.

"Thank you for your help. I am very grateful for it."

"Any friend of Sora-chan is a friend of ours," simply replied Master Bob, cooing a little about her cuteness. "You're always welcome here, Kaelys-chan~!"

"Thank you. Sorano, I'll see you around. You too, Jenny."

The black-haired girl quickly hugged the two. As she let them go, though, she noticed the hearts and sparkles now floating around the Trimens, who were obviously awaiting the same treatment.

She simply raised her hand in a lazy salutation. "Bye, I guess."

The three handsome wizards slumped at the colder goodbye, making her snicker a little, and she then returned to the Thunder God Tribe's side. With one last goodbye, the team then left Blue Pegasus.

* * *

.

.

They made it back to Fairy Tail in a record time. The night was slowly setting when they arrived, and Kaelys found herself wondering if Lucy and the others were back yet.

"They aren't," Evergreen answered her thoughts. "You're welcome to stay with me at Fairy Hills, though."

"Thanks, but I'll be fine," refused the teen. "I've already bothered you guys enough. I can handle one night on my own, no worries!"

Bickslow roughly ruffled her hair.

"Wasn't any trouble for us, kid," he replied, pulling out his tongue to show off his guildmark. "We're all here for each other, right? Of course we'd help."

At that, her expression softened somewhat.

"Thanks. To be honest, I was really worried, at first. I'm glad nothing happened on the way back." She then glanced to the leader of the group. "Also, I was wondering something… Laxus?"

"What?"

"Your Magic… From what the others have said, you're the Lightning Dragon Slayer, right?" she inquired, biting her lower lip.

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, I was just…" She lowered her eyes a little, rubbing her wrists. "I'm… I was wondering, if you could help me?"

He raised an eyebrow at that, sending a look to the other three. They simply shrugged or shook their heads, them too unsure of what she wanted to ask.

"Depends." He reported his attention on the girl. "If it's to ask me to electrocute you again…"

"No! No, God no… Once was enough, thank you," she cringed a little. "It's just… Err, well… Yeah, I guess it's still along those lines, but… Ugh! I'm scared of electricity. Or lightning. Or whatever that's flashy and burns and… stuff. Anyway, I always find myself freezing when things related to that happen around me. Hearing, seeing or feeling it… Hell, right now, just a small shock due to static is enough to make me have an attack."

"So what, you want me to… use my lightning around you? So that you can get used to it?" He easily guessed.

"Exactly."

"Exposure therapy?" suddenly understood Freed. He then frowned. "Are you certain it is the best way to do this? It can get dangerous for you if-"

"If I'm not monitored and try to deal with this alone, yes," she nodded. "But I wouldn't be alone if it's with Laxus. I… I know that you don't really know me or anything, and that you surely have better to do than try to help out someone like me, but… maybe once? Or twice? Just… think about it? I… I don't really know how to deal with this otherwise."

The blond man scratched the back of his head. Dealing with messed up kids was _not_ in his contract. But then again, he could find some sense of kinship. He too had scars of his own, after all.

"I'll see what I can do," he finally agreed. "Though you'd probably want to find someone better suited to handle those panic attacks of yours."

"Really?" Her eye widened a little, and she then grinned at him. "Thank you!"

"Yeah, yeah, don't mention it."

Obviously happy, the teen then started chatting with Evergreen about having another girl's day at one time or another. As the two girls went ahead, the other three lingered a little behind.

"Freed, do you think it'll work?" suddenly asked Laxus, serious. "Or will she only get worse?"

"Depends on how the situation is handled, really," sighed the Rune mage. "Exposure therapy will surely prove to be effective, but it won't be easy, and it'll surely take time. Right now, she is focused on getting better. However, if she ever looses that ambition, then I'm afraid she won't be stable enough to handle it."

"I see."

"Still, is it really a good idea?" Bickslow rubbed the back of his head. "What if one of her attacks gets too bad and she hurts someone by accident?"

"Honestly, I think it'd be best for her to loose control while she's watched by people she trusts rather than it happening by accident during a mission or something," pointed out the Dragon Slayer.

On that, they could all only agree.

* * *

.

.

After thanking the Thunder God Tribe one last time, Kaelys started heading back home. The streets were now half-shadowed, the sun almost completely down, but it was a nice evening and she enjoyed the silence, somewhat.

 **'** **That's a reckless move. What if he comes out while you're not looking?'**

"Right in Magnolia?" She shook her head. "No way. He might be mad, but he's not stupid."

 **'** **Kid, you can't reason with mad people. Hell, I'd know. I'm enduring your bullshit every day'**

"Jerk."

After a few more minutes, she finally reached the house… and suddenly spun on her heels, knife in hands.

There was no one, though.

"I hate paranoia…" she muttered, slowly putting her weapon back to her belt.

 **'** **I dunno, that's what's keeping you alive, so I wouldn't be so quick to ignore it. What'd you feel?'**

"I… I don't know. Just… someone. Watching me." She shook her head. "Nevermind that, I'm just tired and overly worried, so my mind's playing tricks."

 **'** **Are you sure of that?'**

"… yeah. Yeah, I'm sure."

She bent down and pulled the hidden key from the small hole, just below the door. She locked it as soon as she was inside, before sighing deeply to relax herself. Turning on a few lights, she thought about getting something to eat, but soon realized that the stress took away her appetite.

Shaking her head, she simply decided to go to bed. She was tired and, while she was worried about sleeping on her own –in the end, she either slept with Frosch or with Sorano during her little adventure-, she didn't feel like fighting the exhaustion. Plus, if worst came to came to worst, she'd need her energy so as to be able to fight properly.

 **'** **Stay on guard'**

"I know."

* * *

.

.

Her eyes snapped open.

The Doctor was just above her.

He grinned. "Let's get back to where we left of, shall we~?"

Screaming, she swung the knife she had hidden under her pillow at him, falling out of her bed. Hissing in mild pain, she scrambled away until her back harshly hit the wall, and she brandished her knife once more before her, shaking like a leaf.

A few heartbeats later, she realized she was alone.

"W-what…"

 **'** **Kid, the hell was that?'**

"I… I saw him… I swear I-I did…"

 **'** **Hallucination, most likely'**

"But he… he was…"

But long minutes of silence and shaking in the darkness proved that she truly was alone. And, when she thought more about it, it truly was impossible for him to be there. She had seen that monster _above_ her, which was ridiculous enough. Plus, had it truly been him, he would have tried to take her again without even waking her up. She wouldn't have been able to react like she did, he would just have swallowed her in one of his dark holes and- and...

 **'** **Damn, is this guy** ** _that_** **bad?'**

"You… you have _no_ idea," she breathed out, dropping her knife. She then brought her legs against her chest, and hid her face between her knees. "Damn it…"

She stayed like that for the rest of the night.

* * *

.

.

"Kaelys!"

The teen instantly woke up, and relief washed over her as a familiar figure kneeled besides her. She offered a wobbly smile at the blonde.

"Hey, Lucy-nee…"

Blinking away her tears, Lucy pulled her in her arms. "Thank God…"

"What…?"

Erik and Macbeth burst in the room a few seconds later, wide-eyed. Seeing her, they both breathed out in obvious relief. Frowning a little, she waited until Lucy calmed down before getting up to face them.

"Guys? What is it?"

At her question, the three exchanged a glance.

"Haven't you… haven't you seen it?" asked Lucy, pale.

"Seen what?"

"I-In the living room, i-it's-"

Kaelys instantly ran out of the room, ignoring the rest. Her heart was thumping violently in her chest, dreading what she'd find.

As soon as she reached the living room, she stopped in her tracks. Feeling nauseous, she took as step back. Her head spinning a little, she collapsed, an hand over her mouth to stop herself from vomiting.

"No…"

Shirokage whistled lowly. **'Shit…'**

On the wall, written in what could only be blood, if the color and the smell were anything to go by… was a message.

 _Welcome back, Kaelys!_

She choked out a sob, unable to do anything else.

The nightmare had been real, after all.

And… she had a feeling it only was the beginning.

* * *

.

.

After a while during which comforting Kaelys had been pretty much mission impossible, the teen admitted having seen the man just a few hours before, hence why they found her sleeping in that position in the first place. First thinking it only had been an hallucination, she had tried to simply forget about it.

As soon as they heard of this, they left the house to go to the Guild, on guard. For all they knew, Doctor Shawn was still around, ready to take action at any given moment. As soon as they arrived, they went to find Master Makarov and explained the situation to him.

The rest had been kind of a blur, to be honest. Makarov called for backup, and instantly sent Freed and Levy to set up protective runes around their house, with Bickslow, Jet and Droy to watch their back. Laxus has stayed behind and was now talking with the Master, Macbeth, Erik and Gajeel about the measures they should take to handle the situation. As for Kaelys, she was sitting on the couch, a smoothie graciously offered by Mira in her hands, not really in the mood for talking. Evergreen and Lucy were on each side of her, chatting in a low tone about anything but the problem at hands, hoping to distract the teen for a while longer.

When Freed, Bickslow, Levy, Jet and Droy finally came back, the green-haired man offered a small smile to the Celestial mage.

"It is done. We have put up as many runes as we could, and only the four of you will be able to enter the house, except if you extend an invitation."

"Thank you, Freed, Levy-chan," Lucy sighed, smiling back.

Levy gave her a quick hug. "Of course, Lu-chan."

"Also, one of your Spirits was… cleaning up, when we got there," added Bickslow, thinking back to whom they had seen. "The maid, I think."

"Oh! Virgo…" Lucy grazed her fingers against the key, which thrummed in answer, some warmth emanating from it. "Thank you."

"So, what now?" then asked Evergreen, taking a look around.

"I will make an announcement later, when everyone is at the Guild," informed Master, serious. "No one will be allowed to take any solo missions until this situation has been handled. Kaelys, I'm afraid we can't have you leaving Magnolia until we better understand what exactly he is after."

"So I'm basically trapped here? Back to square one?" she scowled a little.

"Going out means you'll be an easier target, Loudmouth," replied Erik, poking her forehead. "We can't risk that until we've properly assessed the threat."

She made a face, but no longer protested, knowing he was right. Leaning back into the couch, she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Still, though… If he really was after me, why didn't he simply take the opportunity yesterday?" she then pointed out. "He was _in my room._ I could _touch him._ How come he didn't kidnap me there and then?"

"Something that has been bothering me too, I must admit," sighed Makarov. "He escaped three years ago, and hasn't been sighted even once since then. Something tells me there's a much, much bigger reasoning behind his actions now."

"And until we know what it is, you stay put and try not to get yourself kidnapped," concluded Laxus.

"You make it sound as if I'm always actually _looking_ for trouble," she rolled her eyes at that.

There was a moment of silence during which every person in the room stared intently at her. She scoffed, averting her gaze.

"I do _not."_

They chuckled a little at that, the tension easing somewhat. Then, the Master clasped his hands together, jumping onto his desk.

"Very well, everyone. I will make the announcement in the afternoon. In the meantime, try to relax and have some fun. Kaelys, would you prefer staying in my office and try to get some more sleep?"

"No!" She instantly flushed a little at her outburst, calming down. "I-I mean, no, thank you. I… I'd rather not, not right now."

"Of course," the old man agreed, smiling indulgently. "I'll see you brats later, then. Try not to cause too much trouble, and I mean it!"

Though it wasn't much use to say that. After all, it was Fairy Tail. When did the Guild _not_ caused trouble?

* * *

.

.

Kaelys was drinking her third orange and strawberry smoothie of the day. She had never tried it before, and she wondered why she ever stuck to mere orange juice when this was one of her options.

From now on, she'd only drink smoothies.

 **'** **You'll get fat'**

"Little price to pay for drinking awesomeness in a glass," she retorted without a care in the world.

"Oh, not again…"

Blinking, the teen reported her attention on Lucy, who was reading the newspapers. "Something wrong?"

"Well…" The blonde sighed, biting her lower lip. "For a while now, there have been bombings of numerous churches all around Fiore. And- oh, look at that! That's the guy we met during Nirvana, right? From the Council?"

"The guy who tried to lock me up but to whom you basically said _'bitch no!'_ and who was forced to let me go with you because you wouldn't let him do otherwise?" recalled the black-haired girl.

"Eh, eh, right…"

"Lucy! You've got a visitor!"

At Romeo's call, the two girls reported their attention to the door. Kaelys instantly narrowed her eyes at the newcomer. It was a girl, maybe around Lucy's age. She was pretty, in a cute sort of way, with long, wavy, light-brown hair and a soft face. There was something... weird, though. Kaelys didn't trust the woman one bit, and her fingers were itching to grab the knife to her belt.

"Who's she, Lucy-nee?" she asked, voice low.

The blonde glanced at her. "I… don't know?"

"You are Lucy Heartfilia?" the woman asked, stopping to their table.

"What's it to you?" practically growled the teen, ready for a fight.

"Kaelys, stand down!" The Celestial mage frowned at her aggressiveness. She was used to the teen's mistrust, but not to this. "Yes, I am Lucy Heartfilia. Who might you be?"

"Who… I am…?" The woman stared at her for a second.

Then, she started crying.

"Shit!" cursed the purple-eyed girl, not expecting that kind of reaction.

"I'M MICHELLE LOBSTER!" the mysterious visitor cried.

"And!?" panicked Lucy.

Though still not at ease, the Thief mage deemed the newcomer as inoffensive, and leaned back into her seat to let her friend handle it.

"I'm sorry," Michelle then apologized, calming down. "It's been quite a long time, so I suppose it's no surprise you don't remember me. Let me start over! I am Michelle Lobster. It's been too long, Lucy-neesan!"

…

"N-NEESAN!?"

That caught everyone's attention at last, and Kaelys merely groaned, alreayd feeling a headache creeping up on her.

* * *

"So, Lucy's father actually had an illegitimate daughter?" gasped Happy.

"No! The Lobster Family and the Heartfilia Family are distantly related."

"So you're simply Lucy's relative," understood Carla.

"I don't really get it… You're saying you're Lucy's daughter?" frowned Natsu.

"How'd you get to that conclusion, ash-for-brains?" sweatdropped Erik.

All in all… it was a very confusing moment for all of Fairy Tail.

* * *

.

.

"So… what is this?"

"It's a memento from your father, Jude Heartfilia."

Lucy stiffened at that, startled.

"You see, I helped Uncle Jude for a little while with his work. And… I was there, when he passed away. He asked me to pass this along to you," explained Michelle.

"Father's… last request?"

"He was always worried about you, after you went missing," informed the woman, lowering her eyes. "But he said that he knew you were still alive out there, somewhere, and asked me to find you. He passed away peacefully, as if going to sleep. Ever since that day, I've been searching for you. And now… I've finally found you! With this… I can fulfill Uncle Jude's dying wish!"

Elfman started bawling his eyes out in the background. Kaelys simply kept her eyes on the strange luggage, resisting the urge to throw it out the window.

"What's inside?" she simply asked.

"I don't know," answered softly Michelle. "All I was told was to give this case to Lucy-neesan…"

"Father…" Lucy bit her lower lip.

"Just open it already, Sunshine," grunted Erik, rubbing his temples. He had tried listening to the newcomer's thoughts, but ended up with an awful migraine. "We don't have all day, remember?"

"Right…"

Kaelys tensed even more when the blonde opened the suitcase. After a few seconds, nothing happened. Relaxing, the teen then took a look inside, and furrowed her brows in mild confusion.

"… is it a leg or something?"

"Of course not, silly," the Celestial mage ruffled her hair, though she was as confused as her. "Though I gotta admit, it's kind of strange…"

Lucy pulled the bandaged object out of the box.

"These wrappings…"

"There's Magic on it," informed Natsu, sniffing it. "I think that's what I smelled earlier…"

Quickly unwrapping it, Lucy then placed it on the table for all to see. Even though revealed, the object was still as strange as before, if not more.

"The heck is that?" blinked the pink-haired Dragon Slayer.

"Something Uncle Jude valued?" proposed Michelle, not very convinced.

"I don't remember ever seeing that thing before…" sighed the blonde.

"Maybe it's a weapon?" proposed Kaelys, picking it up. She stumbled back under the weight, surprised as its heaviness. "Or not. Too heavy."

It was suddenly pulled from her hands by Erik, who looked at it closing, eyes narrowed. He didn't seem fazed by the weight, lifting it with one hand.

"Oi, Beth," he called. "Doesn't it look familiar or something?"

"Dunno," answered the black-haired mage, eyes closed.

"You're not even looking!" protested Elfman.

With an heavy sigh, Macbeth opened his eyes, and looked at the object. After a few seconds, he tilted his head in mild recognition.

"You're right. I think I saw it before," he finally admitted.

"Something to do with Oración Seis?" blinked Kaelys. "Maybe it isn't a weapon… but the _key_ to a weapon! Like with Nirvana, right?"

"I doubt that's the case," Lucy shook her head. "Why would my father send it to me if that was the case?"

At that, the three ex-criminals deflated somewhat. It truly didn't make any sense for Lucy's father to have had it in his possession in the first place, and sending it to Lucy, of all people? No, it didn't match.

"Oh, I remember!" suddenly exclaimed Michelle.

"What is it?" wondered Wendy, curious.

"… I haven't eaten anything in the passed three days."

And as if on cue, her stomach grumbled loudly.

* * *

.

.

"I don't like her."

"… why?"

"I don't know."

Erik hummed in understanding, finishing his cup of brewed belladonna. He waved for Mira to bring him another, to which the barmaid answered with a nod and a smile, before reporting his attention to the teen.

"You jealous?"

"What?" she blinked. "Why would I be?"

"'Cause there's a woman who just barged in here, announced she was a relative of Sunshine, and more or less hogged all of her attention," he resumed. "They both left for the house. Usually, you're the first to go back with Lucy. Why didn't you?"

The black-haired girl thought it over for a moment.

"As happy as Lucy-nee is in the Guild, it's not the same as blood-bonds," she then answered. "She just discovered she had a cousin, when at first believing she was the last of her family. She's under shock, but happy, and maybe even glad. I just wanted her to be able to enjoy this opportunity while she had it."

"You're saying it won't last?" he raised an eyebrow, curious.

She drank what was left of her smoothie, before slamming the empty glass on the table. "Hopefully, that woman will be gone before we even know it. Because, while I'm happy for Lucy-nee, that Michelle gives me the _creeps."_

"She's not a mage, is she?"

At that, they both glanced to the half-asleep Macbeth.

"What?"

"That woman… she's not a mage, right?" Macbeth repeated. They shrugged, and he sighed. "While everyone has a magic core, only ten percent of the population can actually use Magic. But… her own core just felt… empty. Absent."

The Dragon Slayer groaned a little. "I couldn't hear her thoughts either. Whoever that woman is, we need to keep an eye on her."

"Think Lucy-nee's in danger right now?" worried Kaelys, already on her feet.

"No, don't think so. They're…" Erik focused for a moment. "They're just talking shit out about Fairy Tail and families and whatnot. They're… oh."

"What? What is it?"

He stared at her for a moment, before giving in.

"Seems like she'll be staying after all."

"… say what?"

"Sunshine just invited her to stay with us. Seems like she won't be gone after all."

"Say WHAT?"

* * *

.

.

Two weeks passed.

 _Two weeks passed._

And Michelle Lobster was _still_ here.

Kaelys wanted to strangle something. Or someone. Preferably the annoying crybaby that just _wouldn't shut the fuck up._

 **'** **Kid, you're jealous, deal with it'**

"I'm not!" she protested.

 **'** **Oh, look. Your precious Lucy is talking with her'**

"What!?"

She looked around the Guild, and instantly found the blonde chatting with the other woman, a smile dancing on her lips. The cup in her hands cracked, and she instantly averted her gaze.

 **'** **Told ya~'**

"How'd you know they were talking anyway?" she grunted.

 **'** **Because they always are'**

"Fair enough."

Releasing her cup with a sigh, she cringed a little when remarking the imprints left by her fingers. While she had no idea how she did it, it would seem she was able to enhance her strength when under strong emotions.

Cool, but fairly useless if she couldn't use it whenever she wanted.

 **'** **Like for exploding her skull?'**

"Exactly!" She then blinked. "Wait, no!"

Shirokage simply laughed, and she slumped a little more in her seat. After a few seconds of silence, she glanced at the empty chairs of her table, and felt a painful pang in her heart.

In the passed two weeks, she had decided to let Lucy have her peace. Plus, she needed to become more independent. So, she did her best to act less clingy with the blonde. It's not like she isolated herself either, but she now understood that she had been in the way for a long, very long time. Lucy was her own person, and she wouldn't always be there to help her. What better time than now to start working on that other issue, then?

The problem was… Kaelys ended up alone. Erik and Macbeth had left on a special mission to go and find as much information as possible on the mad Doctor, by Master's orders. The Thunder God Tribe had left for a mission to try and catch up for all the months they had lost when Laxus wasn't around. As for the others… Well, everyone was kind of busy, and Kaelys didn't know much about most of her guildmates, not enough to feel comfortable hanging out with them.

And of course, the constant stress didn't help. She knew the Guild was safe, but what if the Doctor showed up all of sudden and hurt her friends? What if he attacked while they weren't paying attention? What if he managed to get into the house despite the protections? She wasn't sleeping well, often troubled by nightmares, but she refused to ask for Plue, knowing she needed to get over it by herself.

"Still, though…" she muttered under her breath. "Worst two weeks _ever."_

"Well, that's one hell of a face you're making there."

"Corvus!"

Already feeling a little better, Kaelys wasted no time in hugging her friend. When she pulled away, there was a faint blush on his cheeks, but she didn't comment on it. It was the usual for the Crow Spirit, after all.

"I wanted to present to you my sister," he grinned.

"Oh, Lucy finally made the contract?"

"Yup! Though my sis is kind of shy, so she wouldn't come out until she became annoyed enough with me and accepted," he shrugged.

As if on cue, there was a flash of sparkles, and the red-haired Spirit suddenly appeared, a scowl twitching on her lips. Instantly, Corvus slung an arm around her shoulders, his grin only widening, if possible.

"She's so cute, right?" he beamed at Kaelys, poking his sister's cheek. "So adorably precious, you just want to hug her and never let go- _oof!"_

Phoenix elbowed him in the guts, forcing him to release her. She then took a few steps back, until she reached a safer distance.

Corvus pouted. "So mean, sis. We haven't seen each other for centuries! Can't you indulge me a little?"

"You're annoying."

"Sis!" wailed the black-haired boy.

Watching them interact, Kaelys snorted loudly. Slapping an hand over her mouth as the noise drew the attention of the two Spirits, she then offered a sheepish smile.

"Sorry. Just funny to watch," she admitted. She then turned to face Phoenix. "I'm Kaelys, though I can easily guess the loud mouth here already talked about me like he told me everything there was to know about you."

"L-loud mouth?" spluttered Corvus. "I am not-"

He instantly shut up as the two girls stared flatly at him. As he grumbled under his breath about them ganging up on him, Kaelys smiled at the redhead.

"I wanted to thank you, for helping us out on Tenrou," she then remarked. "Without you… Honestly, I doubt we would have gotten out of it."

"It's hard for Celestial mages to form a contract with me because our Magics can't balance each other," shrugged the girl, looking away. "I wasn't about to let this one die so easily."

"Of course. Say, Corvus once mentioned something about a pineapple incident," then recalled the teen, curiosity taking over. "Though he wouldn't say anything else after that. Know anything about it?"

At that, the scowl of the Spirit shifted into a slightly malicious smirk.

"I sure do. Wanna hear about it?"

"Yes!"

"No!" protested the Crow, suddenly pale. He pointed a finger in Kaelys's face. "If you ask again, I'll tell her all about the kitchen fiasco."

The teen stared at him for a few seconds. "If you don't move that finger from my face, I'm biting it off."

Needless to say, he quickly pulled away.

Phoenix snorted. "You know what? I like her."

At that, her brother slumped a little in defeat. "Of course you do."

As he watched the two girls interact, he silently wondered if getting them acquainted was as good of an idea as he first thought.

* * *

.

.

The following morning, Kaelys felt much better. She had passed the rest of the previous day with the two Spirits, and Phoenix was nice despite her somwhat grouchy attitude. And, while she knew that technically speaking, they were centuries older than she was, it felt good to finally hang out with people her age.

She didn't feel as lonely anymore.

When she arrived to the Guild, though, she instantly noticed the absence of that annoying bimbo.

"She's gone…?" She had to hold back a grin. "Sweet!"

 **'** **Kid, you're hopeless'**

Refraining the urge to hum happily, she went to the bar to get a smoothie, a bounce in her step. Mirajane smiled when noticing her mood.

"Well, someone seems happy," she remarked cheerfully. "The usual?"

"Yes please!"

As the barmaid got started on her order, the teen let her eyes wander over the rest of the Guild. It was awfully calm, now that she thought about it. Neither the Thunder God Tribe nor Erik and Macbeth were back.

Thing is, Team Natsu wasn't to be seen either.

"Weird…" Her giddiness toned down somewhat. She reported her attention on the white-haired mage as she placed her smoothie before her. "Ne, Mira? Where are Lucy-nee and the others?"

"Hm? They left on a mission to apprehend some bandits," she answered, glancing at the request board. It was still rather empty, but not as bad as when they first came back. "Michelle went with them. They should be back in a few hours, though."

"I- I see. Thanks, Mira."

This time, her good mood melted like snow under the sun. Without another word, she jumped off the stool and left the Guild, the door slamming behind her. The barmaid simply gaped at the now abandoned smoothie, unsure of what had just happened.

* * *

.

.

"So what, I can't go on a mission but that crybaby can? That's ridiculous!" growled the teen. She was heading back to the house, ignoring any greetings sent her way. She would usually answer, but she wasn't in the mood right now. "I can't believe this… And Lucy didn't even tell me! She could have at least _warned_ me, right? Plus, why would I be any safer here anyway? He managed to break in once, nothing's stopping him from whisking me away in the middle of the goddamn street. But why did that klutz have to go with them? Why does _she_ can but _I_ can't? It's not _fair_!"

She knew she must have sounded like a spoiled kid. She wasn't even angry, you know?

She was just… she was just _hurt._

 **'** **Seriously, though, who could blame them?'**

"W-what?"

 **'** **You think it's fun dealing with you all day long when you could blow up any second and explode everyone in the vicinity? You've got more issues than I care to remember, and I'm already done with you. They've been at it for far longer than me, so** ** _of course_** **they'd start moving on'**

"They're not like that!" she protested, stopping in her tracks.

 **'** **Everyone is. Sure, they've been more resilient than your average mage but, in the end, humans are humans. Enduring you and your lack of mental stability is sure to drive anyone crazy'**

"T-they're not… they're not like that. Not them. _Not them._ And I'm trying. I'm getting better-"

 **'** **Is what you want to say. One way or another, it's kind of late to start working on it, don't you think? You missed your chance, kid, and now they're going to replace you with another one. Michelle, right? She's mature, pretty, everyone likes her, she doesn't have a panic attack every five minutes, she's actually** ** _normal…_** **Trust me, you've got no chance against someone like that'**

A lump forming in her throat, she failed to find the words to answer. Realizing her state, Shirokage started laughing.

 **'** **What, not defending your oh-so-precious friends anymore? Already giving up on them after all?'**

"I'm not," she managed to choke out. "They haven't betrayed me… and I _won't_ betray them."

 **'** ** _Yet_** **. Just wait and see, Ka~e~lys. Soon enough, they'll turn on you like everyone else did before. And you'll be alone again. But no worries! I'll still be here for you~'**

He started laughing again. Kaelys clenched her fist so tightly her nails pierced the skin of her palm. Ignoring the frail trails of red leaking down her hand, she quickly made her way back to the house, the Demon's taunts still echoing in her head.

* * *

Kaelys stared at the shard of glass in her hands, unresolved.

 **'** **That's just fucking pitiful'**

Clicking her tongue in annoyance, she threw it away, the scars in her wrists itching, but not reopened.

"Fine, I'll do something else."

* * *

"I can't believe I'm doing this."

 **'** **I can't believe it either'**

Kaelys scowled a little, staring at the mission request in her hands. She had taken the nearest one on the board using her telekinesis, and bolted out of there before anyone could even notice her or what she had done.

"I stole a mission…" She murmured, not really knowing how she felt about it. "But it's necessary, right? I'll prove to everyone that I can handle myself. I'm not useless, so they can't replace me yet. I'm sure they'll understand once I come back with the completed mission."

Nodding to herself, she finally read for real the mission details. Apparently, some gold robbers were causing troubles.

 **'** **This is going to be a walk in the park. Couldn't you have gotten an S-Class or something?'**

 _"_ _That_ would have _really_ gotten me in trouble," she snorted. "I'm not touching any S-Class mission until I get the title, or am required to do it. I'm not _that_ desperate yet."

* * *

 **And that's the end of that. A lot has happened in this chapter, so if you guys have any questions, then again: don't hesitate to ask. I'm always happy to answer! Anyhow, I'll leave it at that for now. Hopefully, I'll come back soon. I swear I'll try my best, so don't give up on me just yet!**

 **Arigato! And love you guys!**


	37. Bad Night, Bad People, Bad News

**Holy fudge, I've been gone for a lot longer than first planned. The writer's block only got worse, and I was kind of caught up with my other stories, work, watching One Piece, and school that's now starting. BUT! I'm back! I can't promise I'll update regurlarly, but I can promise that I'll try. In the meantime, though, I hope you'll like this new chapter.**

 **Have fun!**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

Fairy Tail was in a frenzy. After Team Natsu came back from their mission, Michelle decided to put up a request for the Guild to investigate the artifact left by Jude Heartfilia. However, as she did so, she dropped the artifact… which started glowing. Ancient writing had appeared, and the mystery surrounding the weird object only thickened.

Lucy and Michelle had been trying to decipher the writing for a few hours now, when Mirajane suddenly reached their table, a frown marring her beautiful face.

"Lucy, do you know where Kaelys is? I haven't seen her since this morning."

The blonde's heart missed a beat, her blood ran cold and her guts churned almost painfully. The colors draining from her face, her chair scrapped loudly on the floor as she got up suddenly, panic rising.

"What do you mean, you haven't seen her since this morning?" she asked, fear lacing her voice.

"S-she came to the Guild just after Team Natsu went on that mission. She seemed rather upset about you guys going without her, though… She left suddenly, and I haven't seen her since. You know, she usually spends the day at the Guild, but-"

Worry taking over, Lucy ignored the rest of the story and started running for the exit, with only one thought in mind: going home and hopefully find the girl lazing around in the house. However, a gut feeling was telling her she wouldn't like what she'd find. Almost colliding with Erza and Gray, she paid them no mind and simple quickened her pace, her heart beating at a mile the hour.

The two wizards exchanged a worried look, before following after her.

* * *

Lucy ran fast, faster than she even thought possible. A little more and she was flying all the way there. As soon as she reached the house, she slammed the door opened and dashed inside.

"Kaelys?" she called, trying to keep her voice calm. For all she knew, the teen was merely sleeping, or relaxing in her room. "Kaelys!?"

Only silence answered, and she felt her world crumbling under the weight of her panic. What had happened? Had she not reached the house? Did she get abducted when coming back? Or- or maybe she-

"Lucy!"

"G-Gray?" Snapping out of her daze, she quickly made her way back outside, where Gray and Erza were stuck. They hadn't been invited in, after all, and the runes were doing their job. "What is it?"

He waved a paper in her face. "We found something on the mailbox."

She grabbed it, reading over the few lines.

 _I left on a mission. I'll be back in a day at most. Sorry for worrying you. I'll be safe._

 _-K_

"Kae…" Her face paled even more, if possible. "God no. God, please, no…" What had she been thinking? Where did she go? "W-we have to go after her, we have to act fast or else she'll-"

"Lucy."

The blonde stopped talking, staring at Erza. The redhead grabbed her shoulders, looking at her straight in the eyes, her assurance unwavering.

"We shall find her and bring her back safe. However, I have to ask of you to stay here while Gray and I handle the situation."

"What? No! I have to go too-"

"I know you are worried, but you are under too much stress to think properly. You would only be a liability during this mission," the Knight cut her off. It was a little harsh, but it got her point across. "Plus, you have promised Michelle to help her decipher the writings, remember?"

"Go back to the Guild, Lucy." Gray patted her head in comfort. "We'll bring her back in less time than it'll take to say it."

The Celestial mage wanted to protest, scream, hit something out of frustration. However, she knew very well that they were right. So, giving in, she sighed heavily and offered them a tentative smile.

"Thanks, guys. Let's go back to the Guild first, maybe Mira will be able to tell us what mission she took."

"Good idea," nodded Erza, releasing her shoulders. "Let us waste no more time."

The other two nodded firmly, and started running again. Time was playing against them now, they couldn't afford to loose any of it.

 _Please, Kaelys…_ Lucy's fists clenched. _Please, stay safe._

* * *

.

.

"I think that's the place…" Lifting her eyes, Kaelys realized that the sky was slowly darkening. "Oh, the others must be back by now. Wonder how they reacted…"

 **'** **Do you** ** _really_** **want to know?'**

"… No. No, I really don't."

Shaking her head to chase these awful thoughts, she then reported her attention on the place she had identified as the hideout of the bandits. It was quite the rundown place, isolated and hard of access for anyone who didn't know where to look; the perfect place for bandits to hide their loot.

"No one seems to be around…" she mused. "Guess I'll just wait for them inside."

 **'** **What, you're just gonna go in and wait for them to come back?'**

"Why waste my energy going after them if they come back anyway?" she shrugged, heading for the cottage. "Plus, I don't like staying out in the open like that."

 **'** **Paranoia again?'**

"More like common sense. Too easy a target, you know? I want to be the one who surprises them, not the other way around."

 **'** **I guess. Let's just go and see how things turn out'**

Nodding in approval, the teen finally reached the cottage. Going in, she took a look around. It was dirty, it smelled like shit and alcohol, and empty bottles and glass shards were lying on the floor.

She scrunched her nose. "Charming."

Shaking her head, she went to the table that looked the less dirty, and sat on the stool, closing her eyes to take a nap.

She'd wake up once they were back.

* * *

.

.

"I can't see her anywhere," grunted Gray, trying to see despite the darkness. They had found the bandits' hideout, but Kaelys was nowhere to be seen. "Think she already handled everything and came back?"

"I doubt so, else we would have crossed paths with her," Erza replied, shaking her head thoughtfully. "The owner of the gold informed us she came by earlier, after all. For now, let us wait and see, for now."

"Well, I doubt we'll have to wait for long. Look."

The bandits had just appeared, heavy bags of gold slung over their shoulders. The redhead narrowed her eyes, wondering what would be Kaelys's move.

"She must be hiding," remarked the Ice-Make mage, crouching. They watched as the thieves entered their cottage. "Think there's a trap or-"

"Oi, who the hell are you!?"

"Nevermind," sweatdropped the black-haired boy. _Of course she'd just wait for them inside._

Yells and curses echoed from the hideout. After a few seconds, one of the men flew through the window. There were a few more screams, before it all suddenly fell silent. A moment later, Kaelys leisurely walked out, the unconscious bodies and the bags of gold floating behind her. She was talking in low tones, apparently arguing with the Demon.

"Let's go and fetch her," ordered Erza with a sigh. "Before any problem-"

"Good evening."

They both tensed a little as two men suddenly stepped out of the shadows, blocking the teen's path.

* * *

Kaelys tensed, the bodies and gold dropping to the ground. The girl then narrowed her eyes at the two. One was really tall, with a bandana. The other one was smaller, with weird tattoos all over his face.

"We're the infamous Vanish Brothers," claimed the tall one.

"Never heard of you," she replied flatly.

The smaller one's eye twitched. "We have been hired as bodyguards for these guys and-"

"Well, I'd say you've done a pretty shitty job," she snorted. "I already beat them. Are you really going to risk facing me?"

"We are stronger than you can imagine, little girl," snapped the tattooed guy. "Not even Erza of Fairy Tail scares us!"

"I'm sure she'd love hearing that," she deadpanned. "Well, let's get to it, shall we? I'm afraid I don't have any more time to waste."

"Brother, she's clearly mocking us," growled the tall one.

Rolling her eyes, she lifted her hand and simply blasted them away. However, her mental attack seemed to be blocked by the small guy's weapon, as he…

"Wait… Is that a frying pan?" she blinked.

 _"_ _Heaven and Hell Annihilation Technique!"_ The tall one was suddenly thrown into the air. Obviously hoping to use this as a distraction, the one with the frying pan started running at her. "Face the heavens… and I'll be on the earth!"

Kaelys simply flew to avoid the attack. However, as she was about to crush him, she suddenly remembered the other one.

"Fuck!"

"Face the earth… and I'll be in the heavens!"

She managed to raise her shield in time, but she was still sent crashing down, hitting the ground rather harshly. Dust rose all around as she got back on her feet, her back aching a little but nothing else.

 **'** **Kid, stop playing nice and get this done with. I'm getting tired of watching'**

"Hai, hai," she rolled her eyes.

As they launched their combined attack once again, Kaelys Requiped her Book, and quickly found Erik's page.

 _"_ _Sound Wall."_

The ground cracked and caved in a little as her two opponents got caught in the blast and were sent flying into the cottage. Or rather, through the walls of the cottage. As it crumbled down, the teen dusted herself and stretched her arms a little, rubbing her sore back.

"Well, guess that's done," she sighed. Using her Telekinesis, she picked up the gold and the mercenaries once again. "Now I just have to drop them off, and-"

"And come back to the Guild at once?"

"Exactly," she nodded. "I have to come back to- wait, what?"

She stopped dead in her tracks, glancing back. Behind her were now standing two very unamused mages, making her stiffen. Erza's face was blank, and Gray had his arms crossed over his chest, fully clothed for once.

 **'** **When he's not stripping, that's when you know that you fucked up'** deadpanned Shirokage.

"Err… Hi guys! Look, I've… caught the bandits!" she informed as cheerfully as possible. "Ah ah… ah…?"

"Kaelys."

Her smile vanished, and she dropped the bandits and the stolen goods again. There were a few pained whimpers, but none of the Fairies paid any attention to them. A cold gust of wind picked up, the silence heavy and almost painful.

"Kaelys," Erza called again, tone as hard as steel. "Why have you left the Guild? Not only have you stolen a mission request, but you have also disobeyed Master's orders. Do you even realize what danger you have put yourself into? The risks you have taken?"

"I-"

"What if the Doctor came for you while you were on this mission?" pursued the Knight. "What if you got hurt, or even worse? Had Gray and I not come after you, you would have been alone. Do you understand what kind of position you have put yourself into?"

The girl lowered her head, properly chastised. She felt somewhat ashamed, but also angry. She _knew_ the risks, she _knew_ the danger. Who did Erza think she was? She wasn't stupid either. She _had_ thought things through-and she found that the gains of such a stunt were worth it.

"I completed the mission," she finally bit out, bitterness piercing through her voice. "I've caught the thieves, took back the gold, and even defeated two criminal wizards. I know that I shouldn't have left like that, but I also knew that I could handle myself so please, don't start treating me like a kid who's done a mistake."

Erza narrowed her eyes a little. "You have disobeyed the Master's instructions and put yourself in unnecessary danger. You shouldn't have gotten this mission in the first place. I understand that you did not wish to be confined to the town, but-"

Kaelys cut her off, muttering under her breath. The redhead exchange a glance with Gray, who shrugged. He didn't understand what she was saying either. Noticing their mild confusion, the teen sighed and spoke up more clearly.

"I said that it wasn't because of this," she repeated, looking down. She rubbed her wrist a little. "It's not because I was told to stay in Magnolia. I know I had to, and why I had to."

"Then why'd you run off like that?" Gray lifted an eyebrow. "Lucy was really worried, you know?"

"Even though she's the one who left in the first place?" The accusation stumbled out of her mouth before she could catch it.

Silence followed again as understanding dawned on them. They had left on that earlier mission so quickly, they didn't even think of Kaelys and how she would feel about the situation. However, they also knew that she wouldn't have thrown a tantrum if it had been just about that.

"Kaelys," Erza called, her tone a little softer. "I deeply apologize for the misunderstanding of this morning. We should not have left without talking to you about it. You are as much a part of this team as any of us, and we should have concerted with you before taking such a decision. However, we both know that it is not the only reason why you have done this."

Much to their surprise, a faint red grew on her cheeks. She mumbled under her breath yet again, making Gray roll his eyes.

"We can't hear you," he pointed out.

She let out a shaky breath, along with her reply. "I said… why did you bring _her_ but not _me?"_

The two wizards exchange a glance. Her?

"I know that I'm still weak when compared to you guys," she pursued, her voice a little louder. "I know that I've still got a long way to go. And I know that you have better to do than to deal with me and my issues all the time. But I- I'm trying, okay? I _want_ to get better and I'm trying. I'm not as strong, and I've got loads of weaknesses, but I'm working on it so please don't… don't give up on me just yet… You brought Michelle but I- I can- I can still be useful! I can still do- do something, anything, so- so please! Please…"

::

 _"_ _Where are the others? They can't have left, right? I accomplished my mission… I'm useful… I'm a useful weapon, they can't leave me behind…"_

::

Both older Fairies clearly remembered the words she kept repeating when they first met, with an absolute conviction that was almost painful to hear.

The words she believed in when she was with Oración Seis.

Erza quickly walked up to her. Then, without hesitation, she harshly slapped her. The teen's head flung to the side, but she didn't react more than that, accepting the blow. Then, much to her surprise, the Knight suddenly brought her into a tight hug. Despite the armor, the embrace was gentle.

"Stupid…" She murmured. "Stupid, stupid, stupid! You are no tool, you are no weapon… You are our _friend,_ Kaelys; a precious comrade, a part of our family. Do you truly believe we would leave you behind without a second thought?" The black-haired girl didn't answer, but her silence was enough. Erza shook her head in mild sorrow. "I am truly sorry. We all have failed to realize how much you were hurting, left to deal with your own demons without anyone by your side. We didn't notice how isolated you had become, and how lonely you felt."

"I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions like that," finally admitted the younger girl, shame obvious in her tone. "I just didn't want to burden anyone any longer, and I wanted to prove to you guys that I wasn't useless, that I still had my place in the team, that-"

She cut herself off as an hand fell on her head, ruffling slightly her hair. Startled, she lifted her eyes to Gray, who smirked a little.

"You're almost as much a moron as fire-brain, Lys."

"Am _not!"_ she gasped, offended.

He snorted at that, and Erza finally let her go. "We should head back to the Guild to explain everything to the others, now. They are extremely worried."

"I'm sorry…"

"We are all at fault here," the Requip mage shook her head. Then, her gaze hardened. "However, do remember that stealing mission requests is _not_ to be repeated."

Kaelys blanched a little. "H-hai…"

The woman nodded to herself, before turning to the still unconscious bandits. She Requiped some ropes and, in the blink of an eye, tied them all up.

"Let's finish the mission and go back home," she simply stated. "Also, Gray? Can you call the Master to let him know we have handled the situation?"

"Sure thing."

As he pulled out a Lacrima, Kaelys picked up the bags full of gold for the third time, biting her lower lip. Now that she thought back on it, it truly had been a stupid decision. They didn't bring her on that mission not because she was useless, but because they wanted to protect her. They could bring Michelle because she wasn't threatened by a mad doctor, and that was all there was to it.

"Say, where's Lucy?" she then asked, curious. "Knowing her, she panicked and wanted to come too, right?"

"We convinced her not to," replied Gray, calling the Master. "She was in a state of- oh, Master!"

 **"** **Gray! You found her?"**

"Yeah, she's perfectly fine," he assured, glancing her way.

 **"** **Thank God,"** the old man sighed in relief. **"That damn brat…"**

"Master, if I may…" All reported their attention on Erza. "She has been properly scolded, and I believe we have all come to an understanding. I would suggest not to insist on any further punishment."

 **"** **Humph, fine. But only because you're saying so. Kaelys!"**

"Y-yes!?"

 **"** **Don't scare us like that again, you brat."**

"I- I won't," she sweatdropped.

 **"** **Good. I'll see you three later, then."**

Kaelys exhaled deeply as the Master hung up. She then offered a tentative smile to her friends, who returned it without hesitation. Relief swelled in her chest when she realized all was forgiven.

 **'** **Falling for it again?'**

The teen ignored the Demon. "Let's go home."

She wouldn't make the same mistake again. She needed to get over herself and understand already. She had to… to take care of her issues.

Good thing she had a fairly good idea where to start.

* * *

.

.

They ended up resting for the night at the town, before going on their merry way the next morning. When they finally reached Magnolia, though, the sun was already going down… and they found the Guild in utter chaos.

Levy quickly explained the situation. Apparently, Sugar Boy, Hughes and Coco –or at least, their doubles from Earthland- had come to the Guild and demanded to be given none other than Lucy Heartfilia. The Guild could do nothing against them and found themselves loosing the battle. Their enemies went after Lucy and Michelle, who had fled into the forest. Natsu, Wendy and the three Exceeds had soon followed, but no one had heard from them since.

"We need to find Lucy, and fast," Erza remarked, narrowing her eyes. "Kaelys, do you think—" She stopped talking, only then realizing the teen wasn't there anymore. "Kaelys?"

"She left as soon as she heard Lucy was in danger," deadpanned Gray.

The Knight sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

* * *

Kaelys was flying fast, faster than she ever had before. Scanning the forest below, she was having a hard time finding Lucy.

"Why is the forest so big!?" she cursed.

 **'** **Maybe if you hadn't rushed in so recklessly, that red-haired madwoman would have had the time to prepare a plan, and then you wouldn't have to look for your little friend like a headless chicken'**

"No time for plan!" retorted the girl, frowning. She could feel a tremendous Magic power now, but she knew it wasn't Lucy's. "Gildarts' up ahead..."

There suddenly was a red and yellow blur. Kaelys blinked, startled, when realizing Erza had just flown passed her and in direction of the other S-Class mage.

"Well, they won't need my help," she mused. Shaking her head, she focused back on the main task. "If only Corvus was here or something…"

Before she could look any longer, though, a green light suddenly exploded in the distance. The black-haired girl narrowed her eyes, easily understanding it was some kind of signal.

 **'** **Oh, so they got blondie after all, uh?'**

Kaelys stiffened. Then, without loosing another second, she started flying even faster toward the green light. When she arrived there, Lucy was kneeling on the ground, shaking. Michelle was lying unconscious a little farther, but no enemy was to be seen.

"Lucy-nee!" She landed before the blonde, wary. "What happened? Are you okay?"

"Kaelys…?" The Celestial mage snapped out of her shock, and instantly trapped the girl in a tight embrace. "Kaelys! Oh, thank the stars, you're okay! When we learnt you were gone, I thought the worst and—"

"I'm fine, Lucy-nee, but we should talk about this later," the purple-haired girl remarked. "What did those guys want with you?"

"I… They took…" Lucy lowered her head. "They took the clock hand…"

"The artifact from her father…?" Kaelys shook her head. Now wasn't the time for questions. "Come on, let's go back to the Guild and join with everyone. Plus…" She glanced at the still unconscious Michelle. "Maybe we should have Wendy take a look at her. She seems pretty out of it."

"R-right…"

The Celestial mage was clearly in shock, and hurting too. Not knowing what to say or do, Kaelys simply patted her head in comfort. That earned her a half-hearted chuckle, which she deemed enough at the moment. Once certain Lucy could move on her own, she used her Telekinesis to lift Michelle body, refraining the urge to drop it. Now really wasn't the time for her childish attitude.

 **'** **Well, nothing's stopping you from accidentally bashing her head into a tree, right?'**

Kaelys simply hummed an agreement.

* * *

.

.

In the end, Kaelys didn't bash Michelle's head into a tree. She was more worried for the girl she had come to consider her sister than petty jealousy towards that crybaby. So, keeping her emotions in check, she guided both girls safely back to the Guild.

Everyone was already there, waiting for them.

"Lucy!" exclaimed Natsu, obviously relieved. "Are you all right?"

"I- I'm fine, Natsu," assured the blonde. "It's just…"

"They took the artifact," announced Kaelys, understanding it was too hard for Lucy to admit. "I believe that's what they were after."

"I see. Come, let's go inside to shed some light on this whole affair," ordered Erza, deep in thoughts. She glanced at Michelle's floating body. "Wendy, would you mind taking a look at Michelle?"

"Of- of course!"

On which note, all of the Fairies headed inside.

They had a _lot_ of things to clear up.

* * *

"W- what!? Legion!?"

"Then the ones that attacked us are from Zentopia?" understood Cana, for once not drinking to her heart's content.

"Yeah, I'm positive," confirmed Gildarts.

Kaelys raised her hand, confused. "What's Zentopia?"

"It's Fiore's largest religious organization," answered Macao. "But why would they attack us?"

"I don't know, but he spouted some crap about a crusade…"

"Who gives a damn about all that!?" protested Natsu. He turned to Lucy. "Lucy, I swear we'll get that memento back for you!"

The Celestial mage nodded, though she obviously didn't believe him.

"Don't be so glum," said Happy. "You were being controlled by Magic, right?"

"I'm sorry. I couldn't do anything to help…" sighed Michelle, who had woken up a few minutes earlier.

"At least you were _there,"_ scoffed Kaelys, somewhat bitter about that. "That bitch—"

"Kaelys, language." chided Mirajane.

"Sorry. That _female dog_ was already gone by the time I got there."

Lucy shook her head. "It's not your fault, Michelle. And it's not yours either, Kae. It's only because… because I was too weak…"

"Lucy-nee, it wasn't your fault!" protested Kaelys. "From what everyone here said, they couldn't fight back either, right? Even Natsu caused trouble because he couldn't fight back against her Magic!"

"Oi!"

"Well, she _has_ a point," mused Gray, leaning back in his seat. "If that stubborn flame-brain couldn't do it, then I'm pretty sure no one could have, saved maybe for Erza and Gildarts."

"What'd you call me, stripper!?"

"I just complimented you, slant-eyed bastard!"

"You don't compliment people by insulting them, Ice Princess!"

"You wanna go—"

Erza suddenly kicked the both of them into the wall. "No fighting!"

They slumped to the ground, eyes spinning. "Y- yes ma'am…"

Makarov then cleared his throat, bringing back everyone's attention.

"The church attacks that happened soon before Zentopia's anniversary event… A mysterious clock hand and a sinister line… That Legion was after… and some crusade…" he resumed.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," remarked Natsu, back on his feet. "I don't like that they made light of Fairy Tail and I seriously hope we won't let it just end with our asses getting kicked."

"What happened with the members who were sent in pursuit?" asked Gray, sitting down and holding some ice against his sore head.

"According to Warren, all of the teams lost track of them," answered Erza. "But it's not over. It's just begun… I suppose you could say."

"Now you're talking! Now we can look forward to getting payback, a hundred times over!" cheered the pink-haired boy. "Right!?"

"Ri-"

The doors suddenly slammed open. Everyone instantly went into defensive mode, drawing out weapons and Magics, ready to fight back.

"Wow, wonderful greeting, really," deadpanned a familiar voice.

"E- Erik!" gasped Kaelys, dropping her stance. She then noticed the figure behind him. "Macbeth!"

"We came back as fast as we could," stated the red-eyed boy, yawning. "Though I guess we were too late after all…"

"You knew we were being attacked?" blinked Lucy, surprised.

"I heard it," admitted Erik, tapping his temple. He reached the bar and gestured for Mira to bring him a drink. "Kind of hard not to spot the gigantic flying octopus, seriously. Though, we were already on our way back at the time."

"How come?"

"We couldn't find anything about the Doctor," sighed Macbeth, sitting next to Kaelys. "We tried to track him down but no one knows who he is. There wasn't a single trace of his existence."

"Maybe he's hiding in his world, then," proposed Cana. "And he pops up whenever he feels like it."

"No, that's not it," Erik however refuted. "The guy escaped three years ago, right? But he was still around long enough for him to hear about Loudmouth's return. Plus, someone like that doesn't just _vanish._ Even if he hid in his world, people would still know of him. There would still be a scent, a trace, _something."_

"But there isn't any," concluded Macbeth. "So, he's either dead…"

"Which is impossible, considering he showed up at Lucy's place," pointed out Gray.

"Exactly. But it was either that, either…"

"Either what?" frowned Kaelys, worried.

"Either he's not working alone anymore," answered Erik, clicking his tongue. "A group strong enough to cover his tracks as if he never existed in the first place. Just like Oración Seis did for you, remember?"

"No one other than you guys knew I even existed until Nirvana," agreed the teen, feeling a little sick. "So what, you're saying he's got a whole organization behind him now?"

There was a moment of silence as everyone took in the information. Then, Erza sighed heavily.

"As much as I hate to say it, this seems too… coincidental," she pointed out. "The clock hand, the churches, the attack and now the Doctor? Everything is obviously linked."

"He's helping them for their big move. In exchange, maybe they promised to help him… get what he wants," remarked Macao, glancing at Kaelys.

"Which is quite worrying, I must say," admitted Makarov, scratching his beard. "If they got us so easily, then Magnolia is probably the worst place for Kaelys to be."

The teen paled in understanding. "Because he's expecting me to be here."

"Exactly."

"Then let's go to the Heartfilia mansion," proposed Lucy without missing a beat.

"Oh, that could work," agreed Erik, gulping down his liquefied aconite and hearing the plan she had been formulating.

"What? What could work?" wondered Natsu, confused.

"The Heartfilia mansion is abandoned. We can go there to throw the Doctor off tracks for the moment, all the while looking for some more clues about the clock hand and its other parts," explained the Celestial mage.

"That is a good plan," confirmed Erza. "We shall leave in the morning, then. If that is alright with you, Master."

"Of course," nodded Macao. "Though you guys be careful, okay? Give a call if you need any help."

"Will do."

"Well, it sure beats staying here," shrugged Kaelys, jumping to her feet. "Man, I can't wait to get out! Wait, the Heartfilia mansion… Then that means that's the house where Lucy-nee grew up, right? That ought to be interesting—"

"What the _fuck,_ Loudmouth!?" suddenly exclaimed Erik, his eyes widening. He had obviously been listening to the others' thoughts. "You stole a mission and went on your own? How much more of an idiot can you be!?"

"Ugh, figures you'd figure it out so soon…" grunted the teen.

The Poison Dragon Slayer cursed loudly, stomping her way. "Give me _one_ good reason why I shouldn't shackle you to Sunshine to make sure you won't do something reckless again!"

"Well—"

"I don't wanna hear it! Stupid, reckless brat! What were you thinking!? No, don't answer that, 'cause you obviously _weren't-"_

"Sister complex," coughed Macbeth behind his hand.

"I DO NOT HAVE A SISTER COMPLEX!"

As Erik redirected his anger on the Reflector mage, Kaelys let a small smile grace her lips. Despite the bad news and the situation they found themselves in, she couldn't help but think that everything would be okay. She had acted stupidly, but her friends would stand by her, that much she knew now.

 **'** **You're fucking cheesy kid'**

"Oh, sue me."

 **'** **I would if I could. Seriously, it should be illegal to have so many issues'**

"If it was, you'd probably be the first one arrested," she scoffed.

 **'** **Meh'**

* * *

.

.

"So they came after you?"

"They found nothing, I assure you. And even if they did, it wouldn't really matter, would it? They're still dancing to our tune."

"True. Though, do be careful, Doctor. I heard about your little stunt in Magnolia. If you ever get caught…"

"I've got it under control. No worries, really!" Doctor Shawn's eye glinted with malice. "It'll all be set in motion soon, soon, soon~!"

* * *

 **Well, that's it for now. I swear I'll keep working on the story and post as soon as possible. Also, thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited and/or followed Truth To Be Told! Your support really means a lot to me, and it's probably what keeps me going, to be honest (don't misunderstand, I love writing this story, but I probably wouldn't be as dedicated to it if it weren't for you guys). So, thanks a lot, and see you around!**


	38. Growing Mystery

**Well. It's been what, a month? I've been caught up with school work, so I'm very sorry for the wait. Also, thanks for the lovely reviews! It always makes me happy to receive and read them!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

Kaelys, Lucy, Natsu, Gray, Erza, Happy, Erik, Macbeth, Wendy, Carla and Michelle were now all standing before the Heartfilia mansion. For the original members of Team Natsu, not much had changed despite the seven years that had passed.

Erik whistled lowly. "Not too shabby."

"I'm surprised it is still abandoned," mused Macbeth.

"The administrator or the estate says they haven't been able to find a buyer," informed Lucy with a shrug.

"Probably because it's too luxurious," pointed out Gray.

"This brings back memories," sighed fondly Michelle. "I used to think of this as a castle back then, and it hasn't changed…"

"Michelle, you've been here before?" blinked Lucy, surprised.

Instantly, the girl started bawling her eyes out, obviously appalled that Lucy forgot yet another thing about their supposed past relationship. Kaelys simple rolled her eyes at the reaction, though. Did she have to cry _all_ of the time? It was getting rather tiresome.

"We used to play a lot together… Nee-san, you used to make clothes for me!" cried Michelle.

"Right, right… I may have…?" relented the blonde, trying to calm her down.

"Lucy-nee, you know how to make clothes?" wondered Kaelys. "I never heard of that before…"

"Although the clothes were made with colored construction paper and flowers…" mumbled Michelle under her breath.

"Eh!?"

"Wait, how do you make clothes with construction paper and flowers?" asked Natsu, confused.

"Well…"

Gray and Natsu exchanged sick grins at that. Erik shuddered violently as the two perverts' thoughts creeped on him.

Without wasting a moment, he harshly kicked them away. "Stop imagining things!"

As they flew in the distance, Kaelys ignored the vein popping on his forehead and placed an hand on his arm to get his attention.

"It's weird," she muttered, low enough so that only he could hear. "Wouldn't someone remember if they made clothes, of all things? And such weird ones…"

"I guess, but Sunshine's cousin isn't lying," sighed the Poison Dragon Slayer, pinching the bridge of his nose. "So either Sunshine actually forgot everything, either Michelle actually believes what she's saying."

The teen's eyes narrowed. "Someone messing with her mind?"

"Maybe. One way or another, I can't hear her, so we'll simply have to be on guards for now," he shrugged.

"Copy that."

* * *

.

.

Everyone had spread out in teams to search for some clues. Erza and Gray, Natsu and Happy, Wendy and Carla… Lucy and Michelle. Kaelys had cursed under her breath when the two of them left together, before shaking it off. They both knew the mansion better than anyone else, so them teaming up wasn't that much of a surprise. They'd probably get more done together. So, pushing down her feelings, she went with Erik and Macbeth.

It felt more like she was babysitting, though.

"Don't touch that! You don't know how much it costs!"

"Beth, don't sleep there! The table's gonna break!"

"Erik I swear to God…"

"DON'T YOU DARE STEP FOOT IN THAT KITCHEN!"

So… yeah. They didn't really find any clue.

* * *

Kaelys ended up looking for clues on her own. Macbeth headed outside and fell asleep near the fountain, and Erik went to look for some cleaning products for a light snack.

The teen sighed heavily as she closed the door of yet another dusty room, having found nothing of interest.

"Ne, Shiro? Would you know anything about that clock hand?"

 **'** **Nope, doesn't ring any bell. Though, frankly, I don't like the idea of us being here. Doesn't it feel like we're playing right in the hands of the enemy?'**

"What do you mean?"

 **'** **Come on, brat, that's like, the _oldest_ trick in the book! You know, make your enemies look for what you need and when they find it, you snatch it from right under their noses. It's a classic!'**

"And a cliché," snorted the purple-eyed mage, crossing her arms behind her head. "I doubt they'd use such means. I mean, how could they be _certain_ that we'd be able to find whatever they're looking for? I think of it as a race: we're both trying to outrun each other and we're currently ahead—"

At that very moment, there was a distant explosion. She stiffened, hand flying to her knife's handle.

"What was that?"

 **'** **Below. I guess you're not that much ahead after all, uh?'**

As Shirokage cackled, Kaelys cursed and started flying, hoping she'd get there in time. As she quickly made her way to the source of the explosion, many more followed, along with a few exclamations. Accelerating, she finally reached what seemed to be a library. The doors had been blown off their hinges, and she could hear her friends' voices inside.

"Dan, that girl has the book."

"The book? Here it is! Steal it if you can!"

The ground shook a little, and there was a scream.

"That was Lucy!" panicked Kaelys.

Not hesitating any longer, the black-haired girl rushed inside, ready to throw her knife at the first opponent she'd find. However, she was stopped dead in her tracks as she found a weirdo kneeling before Lucy, spouting nonsense about 'throbs' and whatnot. Natsu, Erza, Gray, Wendy, Michelle, Carla and Happy were also present, but seemed dumbstruck, and Lucy… Well, she wasn't in that much of different state.

"I can't stand it, I can't stand it! She crushed me!" cried the weirdo, who was wearing an armor. He grabbed Lucy's hand. "By the way, what is your name?"

"Lucy…?"

"Lucy!? I can't stand it! Lu! Cy!" There were hearts in his eyes as he chanted her name. "You've touched me to the quick! Can I call you Lu-tan? Lu-chan? Lu-pi? Lun-lun?"

"Whatever…?"

"Whatever!?" he echoed, spinning in place. "That voice! Those eyes! That mouth! That hair! That chest! That waist! Those legs! All of it makes my Fibonacci sequence chirp! It spells out… L! O! V! E! That's love!"

"W- what are you talking about!?" protested the blonde.

"Love—"

 _"_ _Shut up!"_

Dan was sent crashing into a wall by none other than Erik. The Poison Dragon Slayer snarled at the Knight, who had collapsed on the floor with a groan.

"I swear to fucking God, if I have to hear you think one more god damn thing about Sunshine, I'll rip out your fucking eyeballs!" he swore, obviously angry. His fists were clenched tightly, a vein popping on his forehead. "Fucking nutjob, spouting crap 'bout love..."

"Erik… you okay?" sweatdropped Kaelys.

"Do you have _any idea_ what's going on in his head!?" he protested. "If I have to go see a fucking therapist for this, I'm making _you_ pay, Sunshine!"

"Why should _I_ be the one paying!?" she gaped.

"'Cause he's gone mad because of you in the first place!"

"Don't…" The Knight suddenly rose to his feet, shaking. He lifted his head, eyes wide with anger. "Don't get in the way!"

"Go, Lucy, Michelle," ordered Erza, Requiping into her feline armor. "We'll hold them off. We can't let them take that book!"

"Right!"

"Everyone else, I'll need you on support—"

"Fuck no. I'll take care of the madman, you take the damn cat," grunted Erik, cracking his knuckles. "They're giving me such a headache, you have no idea…"

"Oh? How very confident," mused the Exceed, who Kaelys hadn't notice until then.

"You'd do well not to underestimate us," added the Knight, taking a defensive stance.

"Says the guy who just got smashed into a wall," snorted Kaelys. She crossed her arms over her chest, standing as tall as she could. "If you wanna get to Lucy-nee, you'll have to get through me first! You're not getting your dirty hands on her!"

"Kae… They're actually after the book," chuckled nervously Lucy, showing to the book she was holding.

Kaelys stared at her for a few seconds, confused. "Oh… So he's not fighting for your hand or something like that?"

"What? No!"

 **'** **Kid, where did that idea even** ** _come_** **from?'**

"I think I read a book about this once…" she mumbled.

"Lucy, run!" suddenly ordered Erza.

At first startled, the blonde then did as told and started running towards the exit, along with Michelle. Their escape was covered by Erik, Natsu and Gray, who occupied the Knight, while Kaelys and Wendy went after them to protect the girls' backs. They were soon joined by the boys as they left Erza to deal with the whacko.

* * *

They didn't make it far before the whole building shook violently on its foundations, making them stop in their tracks.

"What was that?" tensed the Ice Make mage.

"It was from the study!" exclaimed Wendy.

"Erza…" Natsu clenched his fist.

"That crazy guy beat her," announced Erik, gritting his teeth. "Damn, he makes it look _easy…"_

"That guy beat Erza!?" gaped Kaelys. "That's crazy!"

"Yeah, well, he's crazy in love with Sunshine, so it kind of drives him right now," grunted the maroon-haired man, rubbing his temples. His eyes suddenly widened as he spun on his heels. "Fuck! When did _you_ show up!?"

"Who are you talking…" Kaelys trailed off, only now noticing the Exceed from earlier, who was now standing in their way. "Say, who's that?"

"Samuel, the leader of Legion," answered Gray, clenching his fists. "Or so he said."

"Just as I predicted. The answer came forth simply, based on your mental state and the structure of this abode," stated the bespectacled cat.

 **'** **Ugh, he talks big despite being a shrimp.'**

"… Isn't he a cat?"

 **'** **God damn it I hate you so much.'**

Somewhat confused, Kaelys was however snapped out of it as Natsu darted forward, fists flaming. Samuel however easily evaded his attacks and, before anyone could move, the pink-haired boy was suddenly blasted through one of the windows by none other than the Knight from earlier.

"He already caught up to us!?"

"You bastard!" A cold air rose around Gray.

"How dare you do that to Natsu-san?" snapped Wendy.

Before any of them could attack, though, the ceiling suddenly broke, and none other than Erza fell through, along with loads of gigantic books. Kaelys, reacting on instinct, managed to catch the red-haired woman before she could hit the floor, and gently lowered her down. She seemed dizzy, but uninjured.

"There's that, at least," sighed the teen. She then faced the cat. "I don't take well to people hurting my friends. Get lost."

With a single move of her hand, she sent him fly back. Using his Aera Magic, he managed to stop himself before he could pass through the wall, but she still managed to catch him by surprise, which was already a plus.

Or at least, she thought so.

"I knew you'd do that," he merely stated. "Dan?"

"You're wide open!" exclaimed the Knight… right behind her.

 _"_ _Shield!"_

His spear connected with her mental shield. There was a violent crackle of magical energy, making her pale as her heartbeat quickened. The burns on her arms started itching as a cold sweat ran down her spine.

"Fuck off!" She managed to blast him away as her shield vanished. Dan landed back on his feet, eyes narrowed at her. "Don't touch me!"

She lifted her hand, trying to grab his spear with her Telekinesis. However, much like the magical tools from Edolas, she couldn't take a hold of it.

"And I can't use Magic, since he's going to deflect it with his shield…" She grabbed her knife, twirling it in her hand. "Well, let's work this out the old way!"

But just as she took the first step, the Knight's attention was forced away by Erik, who tried to take him by surprise with his Dragon Fist.

"Oi, Loudmouth! You okay?" he called, grunting as Dan managed to block him.

"I'm fine!" she barked, ignoring the itching of her burns. "Just take care of him! I'll go and help Lucy and the others!"

"Got it!"

Knowing he could take care of himself, the teen flew outside using the broken window. When she got there, though, it was only to find them facing Samuel.

"Holy fuck!" That was Erik's voice-

The Dragon Slayer was suddenly thrown out of the window, almost crashing into her. She slowed down his descent, though he still landed rather harshly, a cloud of dust rising around him. The teen cursed under her breath as Dan soon followed, quickly joining his Exceed companion.

"I don't like to do things Mary's way," stated Samuel, pushing his glasses up his nose. "I would prefer to avoid having to get even rougher on you."

"Happy!" Lucy suddenly threw the book high in the air. "Get the book and escape!"

"Aye sir!"

The blue cat quickly caught the book, and instantly started flying away. However, the ruse was of no use, as Samuel completely ignored them and lifted Michelle's skirt to get the real book, which was hidden under it.

"Not clever by half," he mused.

Not really thinking, Kaelys took a hold of the book and instantly pulled it out of the Exceed's grasp. She caught it, drawing everyone's attention.

"Way to go, Lys!" cheered Natsu… who had suddenly become small? He was standing on Happy's head, no taller than her open hand. "Ah, take that, glasses bastard!"

"Reacting on instinct is all well and good," sighed Samuel, turning to her. "But quite easy to predict thanks to my intellect."

And then… he pulled out the book. Startled, Kaelys looked down at the one she was holding, only to realize it wasn't the real one.

"He took one in the library while we weren't looking," she understood. She threw it aside. "Damn it!"

Samuel was already memorizing the contents of the real book, though. They were too late. Understanding the fight was over, or at least for now, Kaelys quickly returned to her friends' side, angry at herself.

"Everything is cause and effect. I can read the calculations," stated the bespectacled cat, quickly reading the book. "That's why I can see through everything that you people do. Now, you can have the book back, since I have memorized its contents."

He carelessly threw it back to Kaelys, who easily caught it. She had to refrain the urge to slam a tree into him as he started flying away, taking Dan with him.

 **'** **He's a clever pest, uh? Let's crush his wings!'**

"While I wish I could, I won't risk letting you out," muttered the teen.

 **'** **What? What are you—"**

"Not now."

At that, the Demon fell uncharacteristically silent. With a scowl, the black-haired teen looked at the book she was holding.

"He left it here…?" wondered Wendy, frowning.

"Meaning he doesn't see us as any kind of threat," pointed out Carla.

"Condescending bastard…" muttered Gray.

"I swear I'll get them back," promised Erza, angry.

"Turn me back to normal!" exclaimed angrily a still-tiny Natsu.

Lucy didn't say anything, simply glancing back to her mansion with a bit of sorrow in her eyes. What was going on? What was her father trying to tell her?

"What happened…?"

Everyone startled, turning to the newcomer… only to find Macbeth. He was rubbing the back of his head, staring in confusion at the partially destroyed mansion.

"You mean to say… You've been asleep the whole time!?" protested Kaelys. "What the _hell_ , Beth!?"

The boy simply shrugged, making her slump in despair. She however quickly returned to normal as she realized something.

"Wait, where's Erik?"

"I'm here."

She heard him, but she couldn't see him. Looking around, she only found her friends, who seemed as lost as her.

"Down here!"

The teen looked down… and snorted. Her hand flew to her mouth to stifle her laughter, much in vain. At her feet was a very, very tiny Cobra, the same height as Natsu. He was obviously annoyed, his eye twitching violently as he did his best to stay calm.

"Don't you fucking laugh, Loudmouth."

"I…" Unable to hold it in any longer, she ignored his warning and started laughing. "Ah ah ah! This is precious! You're so cute!"

"Don't call me that!" he snarled. "Find a way to change me back, damn it!"

"We'll do what we can, Erik," replied Erza, though her lips were twisting in a small smile. "We should head back to the Guild for now, though. We are no longer safe here."

"Wait, wasn't I supposed to, you know, get away from the Guild?" pointed Kaelys.

"We obviously can't hide from them," shrugged Gray, poking tiny-Natsu and ignoring his angry shouts. "As long as we don't leave you alone, it should be fine."

"Makes sense… Well, let's go back then! I'd rather not be out on the road when night comes," remarked the purple-eyed girl.

"Agreed," nodded Erza. "Let's go, everyone. And Kaelys, would you mind keeping the book for now?"

"Sure."

The teen Requiped it away. Then, once they made sure they weren't forgetting anything, the group started heading back for Magnolia.

* * *

.

.

They made it back to the city just as the sun started setting down. Deciding to deal with everything the next day, once everyone was well rested, they all went their separated ways for the night.

Kaelys was now in her room, standing in front of the mirror and trying to brush the black mess that had become her hair.

 **'** **So, what was up with your comment from earlier? Why do you think I'd be able to get out if you used** ** _your_** **powers?'**

"You think I'm stupid?" snorted the girl, cringing when her hairbrush got stuck in a nasty knot. "Each time I give in to my emotions, each time I hurt people… you gain more power. I grow more vulnerable to your influence." She let out a bitter laugh. "Why do you think I didn't break their bones already? Or crushed their limbs to stop them from getting in the way?"

 **'** **So you're still holding back, uh? Wow, you're determined, gotta give you that. But tell me, brat, how long do you think it'll take before this damn rune finally breaks? How much longer do you think you'll be able to hold on before I finally get the upper hand?'**

"For as long as it'll take," she replied firmly, setting down the hairbrush. "Plus… I don't want to use my powers like that anymore. I've come to realize that I can hurt people… very easily. _Too_ easily. I don't want to do that, not unless there's nothing else to do." She glared at her reflection, the yellow eye staring back at her with malice. "I don't want to become what you want me to be. I _won't_. _"_

 **'** **Fine, do it your way. We'll see if that determination stands strong once you face that friend of yours. The Doctor, right?'**

"He's not my friend!" she snarled, hitting her fist against the mirror. It cracked a little under the strength of the blow. "And I won't need you to defeat him, you hear me? I'm strong enough to defeat him without your cursed help!"

 **'** **Oh, because** ** _now_** **you've developed some sense of self-worth?'**

"I don't need you—" She stiffened as something hit her window. "What was that?"

 **'** **Don't know. Take a look, would you?'**

She stared at her window for a moment, unsure of what to do, until another rock hit it; harder, this time. Frowning, the black-haired mage used her Telekinesis to grab her dagger, which she had left on her nightstand, before slowly moving towards the window. A third rock hit it as she finally reached it, this time leaving a small dent into it.

She peered outside. "What the hell…"

Her whole mind went blank as she froze in place. Her heart stopped beating, she couldn't breath, couldn't think.

The Doctor grinned lazily her way, offering a cheery wave. Then, he got swallowed up in one of his black holes, his eye never leaving hers until he fully disappeared. As soon as he was gone, her knees buckled and she harshly hit the floor, panting harshly. A small wind was picking up, a few papers and small objects already flying around.

"Kaelys?" called Lucy on the other side of the door. "Is everything okay—"

"I'm _fine!"_ the girl snapped, hands gripping her hair as she recoiled against her bed, her breathing uneven. "Don't come in!"

"Kae—"

"I SAID I'M FINE!"

There was a moment of silence, before the Celestial mage sighed. Kaelys heard her walk away and, as soon as she was gone, the black-haired girl let out choked gasp.

 **'** **Fuck, kid, breathe already!"**

"T- trying…" She was, she really was.

There suddenly was a flash of light to her right. A strangled scream clawed out of her throat as she backed away, relaxing only slightly when realizing it was Corvus.

"Kae? Kae, you need to breathe, okay?" He kneeled before her, placing his hands on her cheeks to force her to look at him. Purple clashed with red. "Breathe in, and out, okay? You're fine, just breathe deeply…"

Forcing herself to listen, the girl followed his instructions. After a minute or so, she finally managed to regulate her breathing, and exhaled shakily. However, she couldn't get the image of the Doctor out of her head.

He had been smiling.

He had been _there._

A sob escaped her as she tried to muffle it, much in vain. "He was here…"

"Oh, Kae…" Not really knowing was to do, the Spirit simply wrapped his arms around her. She tensed, but he didn't let go. "You're fine. Everything's gonna be fine, okay? I swear it'll be okay."

The teen didn't want to cry. She had enough, she wasn't like that damn crybaby! She was stronger than that. So, pushing back the tears that kept on trying to come out, she simply leaned into her friend's embrace. He was warm, comforting.

He pushed her aside a little so that he could sit behind her, and she ended up between his legs, her face pressed against his chest and her legs wrapped around his waist as he hugged her once more. She breathed in deeply, the familiar scent of leather stronger now that she was so close.

"Get some rest, Kaelys," he proposed softly. "You need it."

"Don't leave me," she pleaded, her voice almost too low to be heard.

"Never. I'm not going anywhere. I won't ever leave you, Kae."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

The black-haired girl nodded, closing her eyes. She simply listened as he kept on murmuring comforting words and rubbing circles in her back. A wave of dizziness washed over her as her exhaustion suddenly caught up to her.

A few seconds later, she fell asleep.

After a while, someone oppened the door. "Is she all right?"

Corvus looked up at Macbeth, who was leaning against the doorframe. He was frowning, obviously deep in thoughts.

"She'll be fine," replied the boy. He tried not to move too much, not wanting to wake the girl sleeping in his arms. "She said the Doctor was there."

"Ugh, feared as much," grunted the black-haired boy, rubbing his temples. "But it's not like we can put protections around the whole city either…"

"He's taunting her," spat the Spirit. The girl shifted at that, and he instantly lowered his tone. "He's trying to drive her mad with paranoia. She won't be able to rest until he's either back behind bars or _dead_. You know that, right?"

"Aa. Right now, though… We can't do anything about it. We can't get a hold of him, and we don't know where to find him," sighed the Reflector Mage. "All we can do is keep our guard up and watch her back." He ran an hand through his hair, shaking his head. "Anyway, will you be going back soon? I can ask Lucy to summon her dog to take over."

But Corvus simply shook his head. "I promised I wouldn't leave her."

"Suit yourself, then."

With a nonchalant wave, Macbeth then closed the door behind him. With a small sigh, Corvus reported his attention on Kaelys. Going the whole night would put a strain, he wouldn't be able to pop out of the Celestial World on his own again for a while.

But… she seemed awfully peaceful, as if she hadn't just gone through a panic attack. Calm. He remembered her telling him once how she couldn't sleep alone, else she'd have nightmares.

 _Well, if I can keep those away and give her at least one night of peace…_

It was worth it. He'd deal with the drain on his Magic later. For now… for now, Kaelys was his priority.

* * *

.

.

Kaelys couldn't remember the last time she slept so well. She hadn't dreamt, and her neck was hurting a little, but everything was so _warm…_

 **'** **Brat, wake up.'**

"Don't wanna…" she mumbled, shifting in place.

 **'** **Look, I know you like your boyfriend, but this is starting to get old.'**

"Boy… friend…?" A little drowsy, it took her a few seconds to realize there was a weight on her head and on her back. "What…"

It took her a few more seconds to realize it was Corvus who was holding her. He had apparently fallen asleep, his head lying on hers as his grip tightened a little when he unconsciously realized the girl had pulled away somewhat. Frowning, the black-haired teen tried to remember why they were in such a position… and gasped sharply as the memories came back.

Corvus instantly woke up, eyes wide with worry.

"Kae! Are you okay? What is it? Do you need anything? What's going—"

She slapped her hand over his mouth to stop his rant. The last remnants of sleep vanished as the boy offered her a sheepish grin. She smiled a little at that, letting him go. Rising up, she then helped him back on his feet.

"Thanks for staying with me, Corvus. I… I needed that."

"Hey, I promised, didn't I?" he remarked, readjusting his jacket.

"Yeah. Though, do you…" She trailed off, only then noticing how pale he was. "Are you alright?"

"Uh? Oh, yeah, don't worry," he chuckled sheepishly. "I just need some rest, what with extending my stay in the mortal realm using my own Magic…"

"That was reckless," she scolded.

"But I promised you!" he whined.

"Ugh, I know. Just… go back. Like, _now_ ," she pressed, making a shooing motion with her hands. "And come back to say hi once you feel better, 'kay?"

"Will do," he grinned, offering her a military salute. "Later!"

On which he vanished in a burst of light and sparkles.

After a few seconds, Kaelys shook her head and went to get some new clothes to freshen up. Yesterday had been a shock, but she needed to get over it and move on. She couldn't loose it again like that. There was no way the Doctor would stop antagonizing her, but there was also no way she'd fall for it again. That monster took pleasure in her fear, and se refused to give him that satisfaction.

 **'** **Says the girl who literally had a panic attack just 'cause the guy showed up for a few seconds.'**

"He took me by surprise!" retorted angrily the girl, quickly changing. "I had fooled myself into believing I was safe, that he wouldn't come, but it was stupid. I shouldn't have hoped for so much. But now? Now, I know. I know that, for as long as he'll be around, I'll never be safe." Her eyes hardened as she stared into her reflection for a second, the yellow eye seeming to mock her. She then covered it with her eyepatch. "So I'll find him. I'll find him, and I'll settle things once and for all."

 **'** **That's cute. Though, better hope you don't have another attack** ** _before_** **the fight begins. That would be kind of unhelpful.'**

"Oh, shut up."

* * *

.

.

Kaelys headed back to the Guild with Macbeth, learning Lucy and Erik had already gone ahead. The black-haired boy didn't mention yesterday, something for which she was thankful. She knew that, if needed, she could talk to him, but that he wouldn't be the one prying. It was a good thing, considering she'd rather not talk about whatever happened the day before.

So, the walk to the Guild was silent, but comfortable. When they arrived, though, their peace and quiet quickly became a memory, for Fairy Tail wasn't exactly known for being calm. Everyone was talking loudly, mostly laughing at both Natsu and Erik, whom had been shrunk to the size of an opened hand.

The two concerned didn't find it as funny, though.

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING CUTE, YA DEMON BARMAID!?"

While Gray bullied Natsu relentlessly, Erik was forced to face Mirajane, Cana and a few of the other girls. Numerous veins were bulging on his forehead, showing how pissed off he truly was. Despite that, though, Kaelys couldn't help but agree.

"No offense, Erik," she mused, crouching next to him. "But you _are_ cute. Death threats really won't get you anywhere in that size."

"Poison Dragon Ro—!"

Macbeth picked him up by his collar, cutting the attack short. Both stared at each other for a few seconds, unmoving, before the red-eyed boy's lips twitched into a smirk.

"We should take a picture."

Erik instantly paled. "No. _No_. Don't you fucking dare!"

He started struggling to try and escape his friend's grasp. Seeing this, the others simply started laughing. Seeing the mighty Dragon Slayer reduced to this state simply hilarious.

"Everyone, shut up already!" then exclaimed Lucy, annoyed. "I can't concentrate…"

She trailed off, her eyes lingering on the page she was reading. Ever since they returned home with the book, she hadn't been able to tear her eyes off of it, and had been searching for a clue since the early lights of the day.

Though, it seemed like she finally got her hands onto something worth mentioning.

"I found out a lot," she announced, finally turning to face them. "My father followed the contents of this book."

"What do you mean?" frowned Erza, crossing her arms over her chest.

" _Key of the Starry Heavens_ is about a little girl who's told she'll become happy if she can gather six special keys, so she goes off to look for them. But, in the end, the people around her become unhappy."

"That's kind of a dark ending, isn't it?" mused Kaelys. "I don't really get it, though."

"Well, we obviously won't understand anything if you keep butting in!" retorted snappily Carla.

"Sorry…"

"So then? What of it?" wondered Macbeth.

"It says: _The First Key goes on a journey."_

"How can a key go on a journey!?" protested Natsu, confused.

"It's just a metaphor, you dumbass," grunted Erik.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Tche, how more dense can you be?" sighed Gray. "Look: where did Legion attack first?"

After a few seconds, understanding dawned on Natsu.

"Ooh! So that means…"

"Exactly," confirmed Lucy. "The clock hand was brought here. In other words, it _went on a journey._ That's when all of the attacks started." Lucy showed them the book. "The little girl goes on a journey to find the remaining five keys, and she finds them in various places. In the end, she arrives at a church and finds the sixth key there."

"A church…" Erza's eyes widened. "Don't tell me…"

"No, it isn't Kardia Cathedral in this town. It's much farther away," assured Lucy, making most sigh in relief.

They didn't what they were getting into, after all. Better know the whole story before getting even more involved than they already were.

"How do you know that, Lucy-nee?" then inquired Kaelys, curious.

"Well… I loved this story when I was a child," admitted the blonde. "And so I researched it quite a bit. So, I found out the places in _Key of the Starry Heavens_ were modeled on real locations. I… I think my father scattered the five remaining pieces of the clock, hiding one in each place." She then turned to Michelle. "You didn't know about any of this?"

"No, not really…" Michelle lowered her head, thinking deeply. "Shortly before he passed away, he didn't speak much."

Kaelys forced herself to refrain from groaning in annoyance as a few tears rolled down the crybaby's cheeks. Couldn't the girl just stop fucking crying already?

"Anyway, if we go to the places _Key of the Starry Heavens_ was based on on, I'm positive we'll be able to obtain the remaining parts," then announced the Celestial Mage. "I don't know why Legion is after those clock parts, but I can't let them succeed after seeing the prophecy about 'chaos descending'! I'm… I'm going to look for the parts!"

"Alone?" wondered Natsu, jumping down from Happy's head to face her fully despite his current size.

"Yes. The Master told me to leave it alone, but I simply can't stop thinking about it," answered Lucy, determined.

"And besides, Natsu and Erik are no good to us if they stay like this," added Happy.

"Shut it, cat!" snarled the Poison Dragon Slayer.

He was however held back by the collar by a half-asleep Macbeth.

"So, what are we gonna do?" then wondered Gray. "Legion has probably already figured out the same thing. And, if I'm right, this becomes a race against time."

Silence took over as the Fairies carefully thought over their options. Much was still uncertain, and there was no way to know for certain what they were getting into.

"When the remaining parts are all gathered, it isn't certain what will happen," then stated Makarov, startling many by his sudden appearance. "However, 'chaos upon the world' must be avoided."

 **'** **That's basically giving you guys the go, then, isn't it?'**

"Yeah, pretty much," confirmed Kaelys with a shrug. "I guess the adventure has only begun, uh?"

"Let's split up into groups," then proposed Erza. "Each group can head to a different location to try and find the clock parts. Gray is right: this is a race against time. We must recover those parts before Legion does."

"But we still don't know what those clock parts are all about," then protested Kaelys, her guts churning a little. She had a bad feeling about the whole situation. "We need to act carefully. For all we know, gathering all of the parts together is what'll lead us to our downfall, to this 'chaos upon the world'. They're magical items, aren't they? Then maybe gathering all of the parts in a single place isn't the best of ideas."

"So what, we should just let Legion get their hands on them?" retorted Natsu, unconvinced.

The teen's eyes widened. "No! Absolutely not! Look, all I'm saying is that we need to be wary. In the end, it might be a race against time, but if we manage to get our hands on a single one of those artifacts, then maybe we can relocate it to a safer place until we know what to do with it. I think- I think we should simply avoid trying to bring all the parts back here, or at least until we know more about what we're doing. Because, let's face it: we're going completely blind into this."

"… Kaelys has a point," admitted Erza, nodding. "For now, though, we should merely focus on finding those parts. Legion must already be on its way. As soon as a group manages to get their hands on one of the parts, contact the others with a Lacrima."

At that, the rest nodded in agreement. Kaelys allowed herself to relax somehow. As long as they were careful, things shouldn't go too badly.

Though, then again, they were Fairy Tail: things were bound to go south.

* * *

 **Hope you liked this chapter! Things will be going a tad (or a lot, depending on your point of view) off canon starting next chapter, so better brace yourselves for the incoming storm!**

 **Little question, for curiosity's sake: who do you think the antagonist(s) of this Arc is(are)?**


	39. Story Time: the Gods' Curse!

**Hi there! So, if anyone noticed, I'm slowly reposting earlier chapters that have been corrected. However, they have not been rewritten. As always, thank you guys for the wonderful reviews, and I hope you'll like what's going to happen next.**

 **As you'll find out soon enough, I greatly messed the stortyline of this Arc. Hope you'll like it.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

They were split into six teams.

Team Shadow Gear, along with Panther Lily, left for the mountains.

Wendy, Carla, Cana and Erza went for the grassy lands.

Gray and Juvia took the path for the forest

Natsu, Happy, Lucy, Michelle and Romeo took a boat to head for the desert, and the three Strauss siblings followed soon after to head for the ocean.

Finally, Kaelys, Midnight and Erik left for Hargeon in the morning. Once there, they took a boat to head for an abandoned island situated in the middle of the ocean.

As most should know by now, Kaelys was far from stupid. When Makarov decided to send her away wit her fellow ex-criminals to such a remote and vague location, she easily understood it was more for her protection than for the mission. Frankly, she doubted they'd find one of the keys wherever they were going. However, they couldn't rule out the possibility that the Doctor was mixed up with Zentopia and the clock parts, and so the old man probably didn't want to take any chances.

 **'** **This is annoying. He's basically sending you away so you won't get in the way.'**

The teen rolled her eyes at that. "It's not like that. We still don't understand what's really going on, which makes it all the more dangerous. Plus, this island is where the girl from that book supposedly started her quest. We're bound to find some info, right?"

That was probably the other reason why Makarov sent them there. Kaelys had pointed out an obvious problem, namely their serious lack of information, and he took it seriously. Therefore, he sent them to that island to find out whatever they could on the clock parts.

Leaning on the rail, Kaelys let her gaze roam over the water. If she remembered correctly, the last time she went on a boat was when they left for the S-Class exams…

"We really just can't take a break, uh?" she mused under her breath.

 **'** **At least** ** _one_** **thing that makes all this shit worth it. You might be a serious pain in the ass, but at least things will never be boring with you and your crazy Guild around.'**

That made her snort. "Ain't that the truth."

Suddenly, a presence made itself known just behind her. Not thinking straight, she spun around and threw her knife at the newcomer. Macbeth deflected it easily enough, without even a cringe. He had obviously been expecting that reaction.

"You're more nervous than usual," he remarked plainly, handing her weapon back to her. "Is it because of the Doctor?"

"… Aa." She hadn't expected him to initiate that kind of conversation. "You know… I truly thought it was over, back then. When Erik and everyone else showed up and saved me… When we burnt that hellhole to the ground and handed over the asshole to the Magic Knights… When we came back to the Guild at last and everyone welcomed me back…" Her throat felt a little dry as she clenched her fist around the handle of her knife. "I really thought it was over. I really thought I was _finally_ free, that I was _finally_ allowed to move on." A wry smile stretched her lips. "Foolish little me, thinking I could escape my past so easily…"

Macbeth contemplated the black-haired teen before him for a moment, not saying anything.

He remembered when Brain brought her into Oración Seis. Or rather, the day he woke up because she threw a damn chair at him and woke him up, which made him realize she actually existed. He hadn't thought much of her at first, just another brat joining their broken ranks. But as time passed, she grew on him. Contrarily to them, no matter what she did or knew, she still managed to conserve some sort of… innocence. Some childishness.

She was a kid who had seen too much. She had been through hell and back like all of them did, but she somehow managed to get out of it with some part of innocence still intact. A little glimmer in her eyes, one that sometimes flickered out but always came back one way or the other.

Macbeth wasn't a fool. He knew she would have been able to kill him in a heartbeat had she actually wanted to. The girl had a lot of issues –and that was putting it mildly-, and she was far from being the sanest of the bunch. But… he saw her at her less glorious moments. He saw the scars inside her wrists. Most of all, he saw the pain in her gaze as her mind broke to pieces a little more each day.

It reminded him of himself, and everyone else, back in the Tower.

Back when he wasn't so jaded with life.

Back when he still wanted to wake up.

It often made him wonder where that part of him went. He maybe even envied her for being able to keep that part of her, when himself hadn't found the strength to hold on to it. But somehow, having her in Oración Seis helped the members. It was far from healing them, he doubted anything ever could, but her presence did seem to mend a few broken pieces here and there. She didn't make them better, but she did make them a little more human, and that was much more than any of them could have ever asked for.

 _But now…_

With the threat of the Doctor lingering over her head like Damocles' sword, it felt like the kid he had met a few years ago was gone after all.

It felt like she, too, had finally let that part of her go.

Frankly, that didn't sit well with the man. At all. While he would probably never say it aloud, he cared about her, maybe even in a sister-like manner—though he wouldn't really know, he never had a sister. So, seeing her lose even more of herself each day because of that madman made him angry.

No, not just angry. It made his blood boil with rage.

He wouldn't let the Doctor hurt her again. Erik and him would do whatever was in their power to ensure that madman would never get his hands on her again.

Ever.

No matter the price.

"Don't worry too much," he finally said, his tone as plain as always. "We've got your back."

It wasn't much, but Macbeth had never been a man of many words to begin with. However, it seemed to work well enough, for the girl straightened up somewhat, offering him a small smile.

"I know. Thanks, Beth."

He patted her head, before heading back inside, hands shoved in his pockets. The purple-eyed teen watched him go, feeling a tad bit better. She was still worried, but her friend's few words reassured her. She knew that, when it finally came down to it, all of her friends would be right by her side and help her put an end to that years-long shit-show—

"Kae?" She blinked, looking back to see Macbeth. He seemed puzzled. "Have you seen Erik?"

"Uh? Wasn't he downstairs?" she frowned, confused. "You know, because of his motion sickness?"

He shrugged, not having an answer. Growing worried, the girl took a few steps forward, looking around. The deck wasn't that big, and if he wasn't downstairs, then he could only be outside.

"Erik?" she called, her voice carried by the wind. "Oi, jerkface! Still alive?"

There was a moment of silence. Then, some sort of groan echoed.

There was a pitiful whimper.

"Urgh…"

Kaelys quickly marched over to the few barrels of water in the farthest extremity of the deck. Checking behind them, she finally found the Poison Dragon Slayer bent over, obviously very sick and _still_ the size of her opened hand.

"Err… You okay?"

"… Ugh… Not…" He slapped an hand over his mouth, shaking. "Not… motion sick… _blergh…"_

"Sure you aren't," she deadpanned. "I'll just… come and get you once we get there. Call if you need anything, 'kay?"

For only answer, he groaned yet again. Shaking her head, she quickly went back to the red-eyed man who was still standing farther away.

"Motion sickness?" wondered the Reflector mage, lifting an eyebrow.

"Motion sickness," she confirmed with a roll of her eyes.

"I'M NOT MOTION SICK!" yelled angrily Erik, still hidden by the barrels. "YOU… you… _urgh…"_

Macbeth sighed. "I'll go help him."

He was there in a few steps. Without much ceremonies, he picked up the sick Dragon Slayer… before turning him upside-down and holding him over the railing.

"W- what are you doing, bastard!?" cursed Erik, his face turning a pretty shade of purple.

"Just throw up and be done with it already," replied the black-haired man, shaking him a little.

"Stop… _urgh…_ Stop that…!"

Kaelys simply facepalmed. She knew she could count on her friends when it mattered but, sometimes, they really could be complete idiots.

* * *

.

.

"We're totally lost, aren't we?"

"Yep."

"Ugh…"

They had been gone for a few hours, and there was still no sign of the mysterious island they were supposed to go to. Frankly, at that point, Kaelys was temped to just give up and go back to the Guild at once, maybe even go help out one of the others teams. The directions they had been given were basically useless, and she was growing tired of looking for something that probably didn't even exist in the first place.

"We should head back," sighed the girl at last. "See if we can do something actually useful."

"The Master sent us out here for a reason," remarked plainly Macbeth.

"Yeah? Well, I can't see that reason anywhere, and I frankly doubt Erik will be able to handle it much more longer," she pointed out, jabbing her thumb at the Dragon Slayer, who had collapsed on the deck not a while ago. "I feel sick just _looking_ at him."

"I guess…"

"Not… motion… _ugh…_ motion sick…" grumbled the maroon-haired man.

"Keep telling yourself that," deadpanned the teen, before lazily stretching her arms. "Anyway, this lead is a dead end. We'll never find the island at this pace. This Infinity Clock problem will have to be solved another way."

There was a moment of stillness. Then, the clear blue sky was suddenly covered by dark storm clouds that came out of literally nowhere. A violent wind picked up as the waves started to grow agitated.

"Whoa!" Kaelys grabbed on tightly to the rail. "What the hell is going on!?"

"How should I know!?" retorted Macbeth, forced to raise his voice so that he could be heard.

Using her Telekinesis, Kaelys lifted Erik up and brought him to her, before putting him in her small bag. She'd rather not have him fly overboard, and the sudden storm was growing worst by the second.

"We- we need to get out of here!" she exclaimed.

"Watch out!"

Macbeth tackled her on the deck, just in time to avoid being hit by the yardarm that had started moving around due to the harsh wind. Just at they tried to get up, a massive wave washed over the deck, utterly soaking them. Rain started falling, completely blinding them.

"I- I'LL TRY TO GET US OUT OF HERE!" yelled Kaelys, starting to move toward the helm.

"WAIT! THIS ISN'T—"

Another wave crashed on them, making Kaelys loose her balance. Slipping, she hit her head against the mast before collapsing on the deck, darkness instantly taking over.

* * *

.

.

Kaelys groaned softly, the back of her head throbbing painfully. Forcing her eyes open, she was at first blinded by the bright light of the sun right above her. After a few seconds, she straightened into a sitting position, and looked around her. She was on some sort of beach…

"Oi, Loudmouth!" She jumped at the call, snapping her eyes to the right. In the distance, she could make out Erik's figure. "Beth, I found her!"

The girl slowly rose back to her feet, ignoring the pain in her skull, and she was soon joined by her two friends.

"What happened?" she asked, somewhat confused. He helped her up. "Where are we?"

"A shitty storm started out of nowhere and we got shipwrecked," resumed Erik with a grunt. "The ship is completely useless now, we'll have to find another way to get back home."

"I see…" She trailed off, suddenly realizing something. "Wait! You're- you're back to normal! How'd you do it?"

"Don't know," sighed the Dragon Slayer with a shrug. "I was back to my usual size when I woke up."

"Maybe it was a temporary curse?" proposed Macbeth, though he didn't seem convinced.

"Well, one way or another, I'm back to normal," replied Erik. His eye then started twitching as he suddenly remembered how exactly his friend had treated him, back on the ship. "And now… I'm about to fucking beat your ass!"

He jumped on Macbeth, sending the both of them rolling in the sand. Kaelys rolled her eyes at their antics, before moving closer to the trees. While the island seemed rather small, there was an extremely dense jungle smack in the middle of it. They would surely need to go and explore a little if they wanted to find a way to get back to the Guild. Who knew? Maybe there were people on the island.

"Maybe we should split up—"

Something suddenly reflected the sunrays, momentarily blinding her. She winced, blinking a few times, and reopened her eyes just in time to see a shadow suddenly taking off in the opposite direction, into the jungle.

"W- wait!" She started running after the mysterious person.

If they wanted to find a way to leave, then they'd need all the help they could get. She needed to catch up to this mysterious person and get her answers.

* * *

A minute or so later, Erik finally let go of Macbeth, whom he had managed to throw into the water. The Reflector mage half-glared at him, unimpressed.

"I _will_ get you back for this," he assured flatly.

It wasn't a threat, but a promise, and the Dragon Slayer knew that. As he was about to reply, though, he realized a rather important detail.

"Beth…" He dreaded to ask, but he had to. "Where's Loudmouth?"

"She's—" The black-haired man then noticed the missing girl. "Gone. Of course."

"OI! GET BACK HERE ALREADY!" they suddenly heard.

…

…

…

Erik passed an hand over his face. "That was from the jungle, wasn't it?"

"Yes."

"Damn it."

* * *

Kaelys was running through the jungle as quickly as she could manage, but it proved to be a challenging task, as she kept on stumbling on roots and almost ran into trees more times than she cared to count. Large leaves kept hitting her face, and large flowers sometimes released some yellow spores that she was careful to avoid. She didn't want to risk poisoning herself at the moment.

Most annoying of all, though, was that the person she was pursuing just wouldn't stop, and managed to keep a calculated distance between the two of them.

 **'** **Why don't you fly to catch up?'**

"Are you stupid? I'd keep flying into trees," she protested.

 **'** **Exactly.'**

"Tche. Asshole— _whoa!"_ She dropped to the ground, just in time to avoid an arrow, which embedded itself in the tree behind her. "Did they just try to _shoot_ me!?"

 **'** **Yep.'**

She jumped back to her feet, now angry. She just wanted to talk, damn it! Were the arrows _really_ necessary?

Apparently yes, considering how another landed right at her feet. Startled, she snapped her eyes to where the projectile had come from, and managed to catch a glimpse of the one she had been pursuing. Noticing they had been found out, the shadow instantly took off once more.

"Oh no you don't!" She instantly started running again. "OI! GET BACK HERE ALREADY!"

 **'** **Do you** ** _really_** **think that would work?'** deadpanned Shirokage, unimpressed.

"No, but it was still worth trying, right?"

 **'** **Meh. I give you three for efforts and zero for efficacy.'**

"Oh, shut up."

Some light suddenly pierced through the dense jungle farther ahead. She saw the shadow pass through, disappearing from view, but it didn't matter anymore. If she guessed right, she had probably found wherever that person lived. Plus, from the noise she could now hear, she could tell they probably weren't the only one.

 **'** **Well, you're about to find out, aren't you?'**

Just as she reached the end of the jungle, though, pain suddenly flared in her covered eye. Taken by surprise, she lost her balance and fell forward… on a paved ground. Rubbing her eye while wondering what that was all about, she slowly rose to her feet, before realizing she was now surrounded.

 **'** **Well, that's one way to make an entrance.'**

There were a dozen of men surrounding her, threatening her with rustic but pointy spears. They had red and white war paint over their faces and bodies, and a star tattooed on their foreheads.

They didn't seem all that happy to see her.

"Err… hi?"

"Who are you _?"_ demanded one of the men in front of her, wary. "What are you doing here?"

She offered a tentative smile, lifting her hands in a pacific gesture. "Listen, I don't want any trouble. My name is Kaelys, and I'm a mage of Fairy Tail. My friends and I are looking for some information, and nothing else. We mean you no harm."

"Then why did you pursue Tana?" replied the apparent leader, gesturing to a small child hiding behind the legs of a woman.

"It's only a misunderstanding!" she assured. "I only wanted to talk to her! I didn't know people were living on the island, so I was curious."

"You are not welcomed here. Leave," he ordered.

She stared at him for a moment. He obviously wasn't about to listen to her, but she couldn't just leave without at least some answers, right? Plus, they were basically stuck here. If those people wanted them off the island, then they'd have to help them do so.

"A challenge!" she suddenly blurted out.

The man narrowed his eyes at that, but didn't say anything. She took it as her cue to continue. She had acted on a hunch and it worked on a fluke, but she'd take what she could get.

"I challenge the strongest warrior of your village," she announced, calmer. "If I win, you let my friends and I stay for as long as we need. If your warrior wins, then we will leave without any other delay." Her tone hardened. "It is the only deal I shall offer."

The man considered her for a moment, before nodding slowly. Instantly, the other warriors lowered their spears and carefully stepped back, while the leader moved forward to properly face her.

"I am Torun," he then said, tone heavy with an accent. "I accept your offer. Ghan! Go and fetch Togun."

The one named Ghan nodded and instantly ran off to find that Togun. Kaelys assumed he was their strongest warrior. Glad they had managed to find some common ground, the teen patiently waited until her opponent arrived.

She didn't have to wait for long.

Togun was a boy barely older than her –if you didn't count the seven years on Tenrou, that is-, with dark curly hair and striking golden eyes. Now that she noticed it, though, she realized that all of the people surrounding her shared that particular trait. Said people formed a circle around the two as Togun took a stance. She narrowed her eyes when noticing how he wielded his weapon. He was obviously experienced.

"I can't let my guard down, then," she murmured.

Wanting to finish the fight as quickly as possible, she decided to use her Telekinesis to take away his weapon and force him to give up. However, when she tried to do so, she found herself unable to use her Magic.

"W- what?"

 **'** **Oi, focus!'**

She avoided the spear just in time. Stepping back, she pulled out her knife and managed to block the following attack. The two of them struggled for a second, before jumping away. Facing each other once again, they stayed in place for a moment, gauging each other. Then, Kaelys jumped. She brought her knife down, but it was easily blocked by the boy, who in return hit her square in the guts with the staff of his spear. The air knocked out of her, she landed on her back. Before he could land the finishing blow, though, she harshly kicked his feet from under him before jumping on him, using her full body weight to make him fall.

"Thank Loke and Erik for those lessons of hand-to-hand combat," she mumbled, though struggling with keeping him to the ground.

He however managed to shake her off, making her fall again. He brought down his spear, but she rolled to the side, avoiding the blade. It embedded itself in the ground… making it crack. Her eyes widened at the sight, and she wasted no time in getting back to her feet. Togun faced her yet again, spear held high. She narrowed her eyes. If she could land a single hit, the poison in her knife would paralyze him soon enough. The problem was getting close enough to land a hit and, frankly, she wasn't used to fighting without her Magic.

"Something I'll have to work on…"

 _"_ _Gaer Diig!"_

Her eyes widened as red electricity crackled along the spear, before it lashed out at her, taking the form of an arrow.

 _"_ _Shield!"_

Much to her surprise, it worked. The attack crackled against her mental shield for a moment, making her flinch, before bouncing back on her opponent. Too surprised to react properly, he took it head on and found himself propelled a few feet away. An heavy silence ensued, while Kaelys herself stared at her hands in confusion. How had she managed to create a shield? She still couldn't use her Telekinesis, and her Book didn't come when she tried to Requip it.

"You have won," suddenly stated Torun, snapping her out of her daze. He seemed wary now, though. "You were sent by the Gods?"

"Uh? No, of course not," she replied, shaking her head. She could feel her headache getting worst. "Why would I be?"

"You used Magic without a vessel, like Togun's spear," answered the chief. "You did not use a blessed tool."

"Well, no, I can—"

"LOUDMOUTH!"

The girl flinched at the roar. "Crap…"

Erik burst through the trees, landing right next to her and terrifying the poor villagers. He completely ignored them, turning around to grab the teen by the shoulders, and started shaking her like some sort of ragdoll.

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING!?" Kaelys tried to answer, but she was starting to feel dizzy. "YOU DON'T JUST FUCKING VANISH LIKE THAT! WE THOUGHT SOMETHING HAD HAPPENED TO YOU, FOR FUCK'S SAKE!"

"Ugh…"

"Erik, calm down," sighed Macbeth, suddenly emerging from the jungle. "Your sister complex is showing."

"I DON'T HAVE A FUCKING SISTER COMPLEX!"

"Feel… feel sick…"

He finally let her go, making her groan. All that shaking probably gave her a concussion or something of the sort, which seriously didn't help her headache.

"Who are they?" then asked the Reflector mage, finally noticing the villagers.

"Uh?" Erik only then realized they were surrounded. "Guess the island isn't deserted after all…"

"Actually, I was about to— _argh! Crap_!" The teen sunk to her knees, gritting her teeth tightly and pressing her hands over her covered eye. "Holy shit…"

"Oi, what's happening?" frowned Erik, crouching next to her. "Loudmouth? What is it?"

"My- my eye…"

His owns widened as a bloody tear suddenly slipped between her fingers. Growing more worried than he would ever admit out loud, he carefully pried her hands off her face and took off her eyepatch. Her cursed eye was closed tightly, but another tear rolled out, leaving a second scarlet trail down her cheek.

"Kae, I need you to open your eye, 'kay?"

She gulped, but did as told. After struggling for a moment, she forced her eye to open, revealing the yellow iris. The purple rune engraved inside by that green-haired mage was still there, but… something was wrong with it. It seemed a little blurry…

"ARGH!"

Kaelys bent over, hissing in pain, but Erik had had enough time to see that the rune had seemed to crack.

 _Is it breaking after all this time?_ He frowned. This couldn't be good. _And now, of all times too…_

"What might be the harm befalling your friend?" then asked the chief. "We have skilled healers in the tribe. Maybe they can help Kaelys- _na."_

"I- I'm fine," however assured the teen, lifting her head. She offered him a tentative smile. "It's not something one can heal."

She had momentarily forgotten about how normal people might react to the sight of the eye she shared with Shirokage. Noticing the yellow shade slit in the middle by a vertical pupil, the villagers gasped in shock.

She instantly slapped her hand over it once more, but it was too late.

"Your eye…" murmured Torun, apparently in shock. "You are one of the blessed! Blessed by the Wolf God!"

Erik bared his teeth at him. "What the hell are you blabbering about?"

But it only earned more gasps.

"Fangs… You have been blessed by the Snake God!"

"… what?"

"And your hair!" Torun spun around, pointing at Macbeth's white strand. "The mark of the Crow God! You _…_ You truly have been sent by the Gods!"

She opened her mouth to try and convince him otherwise, but he was already gone, giving instructions to the villagers so that they'd prepare a feast. Kaelys watched him go, at lost at what to do.

She finally turned back to her two friends.

"What the hell?"

They simply shook their heads, as confused as she was.

 **'** **Well, things just go interesting, uh?'**

* * *

.

.

One way or another, they found themselves welcomed in the tribe and, barely an hour later, they were sharing a feast with them. All of the villagers, who had at first been wary of the intruders, now treated them with great respect and were overjoyed to please them in any way they could.

In other words, truly a godly treatment.

"This is getting ridiculous," sighed Kaelys as they started bringing them _gold_ , of all things. "What are we even supposed to do with this?"

"One way or another, it's better than being chased off," remarked Erik, munching on some poisonous flowers he had picked up earlier. "Plus, being in their good graces might come in handy. We've come with questions, so they probably have answers, right?"

"I guess… Though, I don't lie, you know that. If they ask, I'll tell them the truth."

"As if you needed to warn us," snorted the Dragon Slayer, rolling his eyes.

After all, the teen wouldn't be herself if she actually lied. Next to them, Macbeth snored lightly, as if agreeing.

Soon enough, the chief came back, along with Togun. The both of them went to stand in the middle of the crowd, facing the three supposedly chosen by the Gods. Kaelys's earlier opponent kneeled on the ground, his face resigned.

Torun turned to the three wizards.

"Kaelys- _na,_ Erik- _no,_ Macbeth- _no,_ the Gods have sent you to us to guide us in this time of great crisis," he announced gravely. "Moons ago, the blessed stars have warned us of the arrival of chaos upon the world."

At that, Kaelys straightened somewhat, while Erik nudged Macbeth awake. "Chaos upon the world" was what they were trying to avoid in the first place, what Makarov had warned them about.

Maybe they'd learn a thing or two after all.

"The Gods are angry!" Torun then exclaimed. "But they are not merciless! They have sent three of their chosen ones to help us in rectifying our mistakes! The Wolf, God of Loyalty! The Snake, God of Mercy! The Crow, God of Freedom! Those three Gods have granted us this chance! Blessed be the Gods!"

"Blessed be the Gods!" echoed instantly all of the villagers.

"We are grateful for their aid, and will do anything in our power to return what has been given to us! Blessed be the Gods!"

"Blessed be the Gods!"

"This is starting to get a little creepy," sweatdropped Kaelys.

"We will give all we have! Our bodies to the Wolf, our spirits to the Snake, our souls to the Crow! Blessed be the Gods!"

"Blessed be the Gods!"

"Is this some kind of pep talk? This feels like a pep talk but, like, from an evil sect or something," mumbled Kaelys.

"At least it's just that. Could be a lot worst," pointed out Erik.

"Like what? A human sacrifice?" snorted the teen.

"Now, so as to properly show our gratitude, we shall honor the ancient rituals, and offer a human sacrifice to those blessed by the Gods!"

Kaelys paled at that, and Erik facepalmed. The damn girl just _had_ to tempt fate, didn't she?

"Maybe… we heard wrong…?" she tried.

"Abiding to the ancient law, one who loses a fight belongs to the winner! Torun, son of the tribe, has lost the fight with Kaelys- _na,_ and his life thus belongs to her. His life shall be offered to the Gods! He shall be the human sacrifice!"

Kaelys cringed. "Nevermind."

People started hitting on some drums. The teen paled even more at that. Were they actually going to kill the boy?

 **'** **Ooh, I like these guys!'**

She couldn't let that happen. The more time passed and the more she grew convinced that the island they had ended up on was the one they had been looking for in the first place—or, otherwise said, the place where they'd finally get some answers. They were there to solve the mystery of the Infinity Clock, not to see some kid get decapitated!

Not really thinking straight, Kaelys jumped to her feet as Torun lifted his own spear above Togun's head.

"NO!"

She managed to reach them somehow, grabbing the chief's wrist just in time to deflect the blow. The spear embedded itself in the ground, just next to the boy. An heavy silence fell upon the whole village as all stared at the teen, shocked.

"A hundred jewels says she's gonna make things even worst," deadpanned Erik, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I'm not even taking that bet," snorted Macbeth, leaning on his hand. "We both know you'd win."

"What is the meaning of this, Kaelys- _na?"_ wondered Torun, more curious than actually upset or anything of the sort. "Do you not wish to offer a sacrifice to the God who has blessed you _?"_

"No! No, I don't want to offer a sacrifice to anyone!" she snapped, though released him. "There is no need for him to lose his life. Losing happens all the time to everyone! You…" An idea popped in her head. "You said his life belonged to the winner of the fight, right? Which means his life belongs to me?"

"Yes," confirmed the chief. "You wishes for him to live?"

"Yes!"

"Then so be it. His life now belongs to you," he accepted, letting go of the spear. He turned to face the crowd. "Prepare for the festivities! The union of Torun, son of our tribe, and Kaelys- _na,_ chosen of the Gods, shall be held tomorrow morning!"

…

…

…

Everyone started cheering at that. Kaelys couldn't even formulate a thought, too shocked for that. She looked at Togun, still kneeling next to her, then to her friends, who seemed as startled as she was, and finally to the cheering crowd that was already dispersing to get everything sorted.

"... What the fuck just happened?" she let out.

 **'** **Kid… You are a** ** _riot.'_**

* * *

"This is ridiculous! I can't get married tomorrow! I'm only fifteen, damn it!" exclaimed Kaelys, ready to tear her hair out. "What's up with all these crazy people? There's no way I'm going through this, you hear me!?"

"Loudmouth, chill," snorted Erik, ruffling her hair. "We'll find a way to get out of here before it comes to this."

"But we still need info," pointed out Macbeth, stifling a yawn. "He mentioned the 'chaos upon the world', right? Then they surely know something about the Clock."

"Do you really think they'd answer if we asked them?" wondered the girl, feeling a headache coming. "I somehow ended up as the fiancée of some random guy just because I stopped him from being sacrificed to some fictional beings! How do you think things would turn out if we just came up to them and went ' _hey, do you guys know anything about this supposed danger that's threatening the world? 'Cause we sure don't, even though we've been chosen by the Gods to handle it, ah ah!'."_ Kaelys shook her head. "No, they'd realize instantly we're scams, and then what?"

"We're the ones ending up as sacrifices?" suggested Erik, not really concerned.

"Exactly!"

"Guys… You _do_ realize we can easily defend ourselves against non-wizards, right?" deadpanned Macbeth.

But Kaelys only frowned at that. Not only were they still lacking in information, but there was still the matter of actually getting out of the village without being hunted down, and finding a way back home.

"We can't use our Magic," she then remarked. "Or at least, not all of the time. I don't know why, but it probably has something to do with the island, or—"

"It's the Gods' Protection."

"Yeah, that. Anyway, because of that, we can't use _holy shit_ when did you get there?" cursed the girl, spinning around to see none other than Togun leaning against a tree.

Though, then again, they hadn't been all that subtle. They _had_ been talking about everything right in the open.

"You guys… You haven't been sent by the Gods, have you?" the boy then remarked, golden eyes narrowed.

"Nope," answered bluntly the teen. "We _did_ try to tell everyone, but they're not listening. Do you think they're going to skin us if they find out?"

"No, probably just immolate you," he shrugged. " _If_ they find out."

"So you're not going to rat us out, kid?" mused Erik, lifting an eyebrow.

"Unless Kaelys- _na_ orders me to, then no. My life belongs to her, therefore I do not belong to the tribe anymore," he simply explained. "That fact doesn't change, chosen of the Gods or not."

"Then maybe you can shed some light on a few things?" proposed Erik, growing a little more interested. "You mentioned this 'protection of the Gods' or whatever that is, and we've got some questions about the 'chaos upon the world'."

Togun nodded, sitting down before them.

"The Gods' Protection protects us from evil," he then explained. "Magic meant to harm someone or something cannot be used on this island."

"But you used Magic to attack me," pointed out Kaelys, confused.

"No to attack you, but to defend myself," he precised. "Just like you did when you used those powers of yours."

"That's right, I used my _Shield_ to protect myself from your attack…" She nodded, before gesturing to her eye. "Though what about this? This eye of mine is evil itself—"

 **'** **Aw, you're making me blush.'**

"—And a rune was put to trap it, so to speak. So why is the island trying to free it?"

"That… isn't the island, so to speak." He lowered his eyes. "It is the Gods' Curse. While their protection aids us, the curse acts as a punishment for our ancestor's wrongdoing, from which we have been paying the price for years now."

"What is this curse, exactly?" inquired Macbeth, growing a little more interested in the conversation.

"… It is _time_." He finally looked back at them and only then did Kaelys notice the tiredness lodged in his golden irises. "For centuries now, all of the habitants of this village have been frozen in time."

The three mages exchanged a look at that, unsure.

"So… you're telling us you've been stuck on this island for centuries?" repeated Erik, not really convinced.

"Aa. Our ancestor has angered the Gods, and they punished us by banishing us to this land, where nothing can harm us and nothing can reach us. The outside world has long since forgotten about us, hence why we were so surprised when you arrived here." He then looked back to Kaelys. "You said you put something to trap the evil? Then that act was evil itself."

"W- what?"

"A Magic that is meant to trap something is evil, no matter what or who it traps. That is why the island is affecting it. The Protection deemed it evil, and the Curse is thus trying to revert its effects by reversing time."

"That's so messed up…"

Togun suddenly jumped to his feet, and turned to Erik.

"You said you wished to know more about the chaos upon the world?" The Dragon Slayer nodded, and the boy bowed slightly. "I do not know much about it myself, but I can bring you to someone who will have the answers you seek."

"For real?" Kaelys grinned, getting up. "That's great! Let's go!"

"We'll have to be quiet, though," he warned. "That person is not allowed visitors, even less strangers such as you."

They nodded in understanding, before following him.

Hopefully, they'd get answers soon enough.

* * *

.

.

"It's here."

The house was as simple as all the others, but it was somewhat isolated from the rest of the village. Togun knocked lightly, before entering. After a moment, he gestured for them to enter. They did so, Erik closing the door as soon as they were all inside.

Sitting on a small bed was a blonde woman, who stared at them with such tiredness…

"It is not often we receive visitors," she mused, her tone somewhat flat. "I believe you have questions?"

Kaelys stared at the woman for a moment. Somehow, she couldn't shake off the feeling that she was… familiar.

Then, understanding dawned on her.

"You're the ancestor that was punished for angering the Gods," she realized. "And… you're the little girl from the book. The one who gathered the Keys so as to find happiness."

The woman blinked a few times, surprised. Then, she sighed.

"A book, uh? I'm no all that surprised…" she muttered under her breath. "I would guess this has something to do with the Clock, then?"

"Yes. As we speak, an evil organization is trying to gather all of the pieces hidden in the kingdom," announced the teen. The woman instantly tensed at that. "They're well on their way to achieve it too. My friends and I are trying to stop them by finding the clock parts first, but we're still not sure of what exactly is going on, or what will happen if the pieces are brought together…"

The blonde stared at them, now frowning deeply. Then, she sighed.

"The news you bring me are troubling, to say the least." She gestured to the small chairs near the wall. "Sit. It is… a long story."

They did as told, understanding they were finally about to get answers.

Then, the woman started her story.

::

 _"_ _Kanja? Kanja, come on out already!"_

 _The blonde child muffled a laugh behind her hands. No way would her friend find her! She was the best when it came to hiding—_

 _"_ _Got you!"_

 _"K_ _yah!"_

 _Startled, she fell off the branch. She harshly landed on the ground, rolling in the dust, before stopping on her back. She groaned, coughing a little, and her best friend grinned down at her, standing proudly on the branch where she had been hiding just a moment before._

 _"_ _You might be the best at hiding, but I'm the best tracker there is! Believe it!"_

::

"We lived in a simple village, living a simple life," sighed the woman, now known as Kanja. She seemed nostalgic. "We were happy. But, one day... foreigners arrived in our lands." She clenched her fists at the memory. "We welcomed them happily, treated them as honored guests… and they repaid us by stealing our treasures."

::

 _"_ _Stop them!"_

 _"_ _They're running! They took the sacred treasures!"_

 _Panic had seized the village. It was the middle of the night, but the bell announcing a danger had started ringing, alerting everyone. Kanja, still somewhat sleepy, didn't really understand what was going on._

 _She was snapped out of her daze when remembering that her parents where the guardians of the temples that night._

 _"_ _Mama? Papa?"_

 _But amongst the chaos, no one was answering. Growing more and more worried, Kanja started running toward the temple. The closer she got, the harder it was to pass through the crowd that had gathered around._

 _When she finally reached the center of their attention… she wished she hadn't._

::

"They had killed my parents. They killed many more of our brave warriors. They managed to flee to the sea, taking away our most prized possessions." She glanced at Togun. "And, after that night… I could no longer find my peace."

"That's when you left to find the keys," understood Macbeth.

"I had heard legends," confirmed the blonde. "Myths of a secret artifact with great magical power. It was said that whoever possessed it would even be able to bring back the dead. So, with this in mind, I left the village, and went in search of the pieces of the artifact, with only one goal in mind: to be happy again."

::

 _"_ _Clock parts?" repeated the shopkeeper. "Afraid I've seen none of that around here, little lady."_

 _"_ _No, it doesn't ring any bell."_

 _"_ _Get lost, squirt."_

 _"_ _I'm sorry, I haven't heard anything."_

 _"_ _Maybe try in another village?"_

 _"_ _Those are just stories for kids! Just give up already."_

::

"It took me a long time before finding a first piece. I had almost given up. But then, one day, I stumbled upon a temple… and that was when I realized that my quest was not in vain. With the first Key in hands, I thus pursued my journey. And, soon enough, I managed to find each clock part, to the last one."

::

 _The pieces of the artifacts suddenly started glowing. Scared, the now young woman dropped them and went to hide behind a rock._

 _There was a blinding flash of light._

 _When she finally opened her eyes again, it was only to find what she had been searching for this whole time, now completed and hers to control. Tears started rolling down her eyes as she realized she had_ finally _achieved her goal._

 _Finally, she'd bring her parents back._

 _Finally, she'd find her peace again._

 _Finally, she'd be happy once more._

 _Without hesitation, she stepped into the clock._

::

"I don't remember much of what happened after that. All I remember is waking up in my village. I was back in the body of a child and, when I woke up, I found my parents eating together outside. I was so happy I started crying, and no one could comfort me." She let a bitter smile grace her lips at that. "Little did I know how this gift was actually poisoned…"

::

 _They were there._

 _The people who killed her parents. They were back._

 _Everything was happening again. She thought she had saved them, but they were just going to be killed again, and there was nothing she could do, and—_

 _Wait._

 _Nothing she could do? She knew the future. She knew what was going to happen. She merely needed to act on it, right?_

 _Without any hesitation, she ran to find the priest, a plan forming in her head. Whatever would happen next didn't matter. As long as her parents were safe, then nothing else mattered._

::

"I lied to the priest. I told him that the Gods had sent me a vision of the strangers destroying our village. Instantly, he sent warriors to contain them." She looked down, her expression now resigned. "The next morning, the dozen of strangers were all offered in sacrifices to the Gods, so as to thank them for warning us."

"Let me guess," drawled Erik. "This didn't work out well?"

Kaelys harshly elbowed him, earning herself a glare. She merely shushed him, before reporting her attention on Kanja, whose shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Their comrades came. When realizing what we had done, they decided that stealing from us wasn't enough. They decided to avenge their friends, and a true invasion began. The village wasn't ready for such an attack, though. They… they burnt it to the ground. Destroyed out houses and cultures. Killed everyone they could find, men, women and children." A few tears started rolling down her cheeks. "It was an absolute massacre… Only a handful of us survived."

"Then… what?" couldn't help but wonder Kaelys.

"Then… chaos descended upon the world." Kanja finally looked back at them, and all could read the suffering written over her features. "Altering reality and time is a power reserved to the Gods—no human should ever wield it. Dozens of massacres started happening in the kingdom. Rifts in time started opening everywhere, sucking all life inside. A terrible nightmare had been unleashed. The earth was turned upside down, oceans and other bodies of water dried up, and the sun vanished behind clouds of cinders."

 **'** **Eh? Sounds like my kind of place~!'**

"Oh, shut it," muttered the teen, entranced by the tale. "What changed, then? How did things go back to normal?"

"The Gods interfered. They gave me the mean to stop the Clock, giving me a choice: either I left things as they were, either I turned everything back to normal and lost the happiness I had sought after for so long." A resigned laugh escaped her lips. "But what kind of choice was that, really? I ended up stopping the Clock. It broke back into pieces, and reality was instantly restored. I spent the following months returning each piece where I found them, adding protections in case another fool ever tried to make the same mistake I did. And, once I was done…" She gestured to the window, through which they could see the village. "The Gods sent me back here. They separated the land on which we were living from the main continent, banishing us into the horizon. They placed the Protection and the Curse, both to keep us from escaping their divine punishment." Ashamed, she lowered her head. "I was happy while everyone around me became miserable. I almost destroyed the world because of my selfishness. So, to punish me, they decided to force me and my village to be miserable for eternity. And so… we've been here ever since."

Kaelys lowered her eyes. If she understood everything correctly, putting the clock back together was what led to the "chaos upon the world" part of that story. If so, though, what was Zentopia trying to achieve?

"You said the pieces started glowing when they were all gathered together," suddenly recalled Macbeth, gaining everyone's attention. "And then the clock was formed?"

"Exactly," confirmed Kanja. "But as long as not _all_ the pieces are in the same vicinity, then nothing will happen."

Kaelys paled at that. "So I was right?"

::

 _"_ _We need to act carefully. For all we know, gathering all of the parts together is what'll lead us to our downfall, to this 'chaos upon the world'. They're magical items, aren't they? Then maybe gathering all of the parts in a single place isn't the best of ideas."_

::

Erik's eyes widened. "We need to contact the others. We can't allow the groups to join up with the clock parts in their possession!"

"I already tried to contact them," however announced Macbeth, crossing his arms behind his head. "The Lacrima isn't working. We'll need to go and find them ourselves."

"But we don't have time for this!" protested Kaelys. "We— _gah!"_

Her eye was practically burning, a few more tears of blood rolling down her cheek. It took a few seconds before the pain subsisted, but she could feel the rune breaking.

"We need to get off this island as soon as possible," added the Dragon Slayer. "If we stay for too long, the rune is going to break."

"Doesn't matter right now," replied the teen, wiping away the blood. She turned back to the blonde. "Kanja, you said the Gods interfered and gave you the mean to stop the Clock, right? How did you do it?"

"By using their blessed tool," she answered, obviously deep in thoughts. "You three… You are saying that some people are trying to bring back the Clock?"

They nodded in confirmation, and she sighed once again.

"If what you are saying is true, then time is running out. In the worst case scenario, they will achieve their goal, and the destruction of the world as we know it will begin. The only way to stop it is by using the Blessed Spear."

"Wait, you mean the one Togun used against me in our fight?" realized Kaelys. "It looked like a normal spear, though… Well, saved for the Magic."

"This Magic is what makes it so special. If you wish to stop the Clock, you will need the Spear," assured the woman.

"Great! Then let's go get it and find a way to leave already," said Erik, already heading for the door.

"Even if we leave, we still don't know where everyone is," pointed out Macbeth.

At that, Kanja rose to her feet. "Maybe I can help in that regard."

"What do you mean?" wondered the black-haired girl, surprised.

"There is a spell linked to the Spear that will send you to the Clock," she informed. "It was a mean to ensure that, if this ever happened again, one could stop it without delay. However, not everyone can wield the Blessed Spear. You cannot wield it with the intention to harm, as its very nature is to protect."

"Yeah, well that's one bridge we'll cross once we get to it," replied the maroon-haired man. "Where is it?"

"Guarded," answered Togun, speaking up for the first time since they arrived at Kanja's house. "I was the former wielder and was considered the strongest warrior because of it but, since Kaelys- _na_ has beaten me, I am no longer worthy. Therefore, it is guarded in the temple on the other side of the island, until another warrior proves himself worthy."

"How long does it take to prepare the spell you were talking about?" then asked Macbeth.

"A few hours. We will need to clear the portal first, seeing as it has been abandoned centuries ago and the jungle is probably covering most of it by now," answered the woman.

"Then here's how this is is all going to work," announced Erik. "Beth, Kanja and I are going to prepare the spell. Meanwhile, Loudmouth and the other kid are going to get the Spear. We have to act fast, though. We don't know how much longer the rune will hold."

"And let's not forget the ceremony," then added Togun, rolling his eyes a little. "It begins as soon as the first rays of the sun shine upon the island, which means the rest of the village will realize something is wrong if we are not present."

"Guys, just wait a second now," demanded Kaelys, puzzled. "Why don't we just ask the villagers? They've been suffering from the curse for centuries, right? I'm sure they want to avoid the return of the Clock as much as we do."

"Actually… They'd rather not get involved anymore," admitted Kanja. "They deeply fear the Gods, and so will not risk themselves getting involved with the Clock again, no matter the price. And, frankly, they won't let you leave once you've been unified to a child of the village."

Kaelys paled a little at that, glancing to the boy. "No offense, Togun, but I'm _really_ not interested."

"I've actually got a wife already," simply shrugged the boy.

"EH?"

He gestured to himself, deadpan. "I'm hundreds of years old stuck in a teen's body."

"Ooh, right…"

"Okay, enough of the side-show," drawled Eri, clapping his hands to get back their attention. "Back to the plan? We don't know how much time we have left until the rest of the Guild fucks everything up."

The other four nodded firmly, determined. They needed to act, and fast.

Time wasn't on their side anymore.

* * *

 **Okay, if you have any questions, don't hesitate. As said before, I've decided to mess with the storyline and so don't expect this to be entirely cannon. So, if you fail to understand some details, I'll be happy to shed some light. You just have to ask!**

 **Love you guys! I'll see you around!**


	40. Glimpse the Future, Glimpse the Past

**Well, I'm very sorry for being long for so long. But! I am back with a new chapter and I can only hope you'll enjoy it. Thank you once more for your continued support. I'm looking forward to your reviews! ;-)**

 **Fair warning: violence, some gore and death ahead. This... probably won't go as you expect.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

"I'm guessing that's the temple?"

It had taken Togun and Kaelys a little over an hour to reach their destination. As told, it was on the other side of the island, but they also had had to take loads of detours to avoid patrols and natural traps like the poisonous flowers. They were now hiding in a tree, carefully examining their surroundings.

The temple itself was actually big. Like, bigger than the Guild had been when they left for Tenroujima. They had to climb all the way up to reach the guarded room where the spear was kept, but the stairs were out in the open. There were four guards at the entrance, and six more were making rounds below in a calculated perimeter. There was no way they'd be able to go up without being noticed.

"Well, what' the plan?" she then asked.

"I can take care of the guards on the ground," assured Togun without hesitation. "I'll lead them away, but you'll have to handle the four upstairs."

"That won't be a problem," nodded the teen. "You said the Spear was just inside, right?"

"Right. There should be no problem for you to take it but, as Kanja said earlier, not _anyone_ can wield the Blessed Spear—"

"We'll get to that later. For now, we have to focus on actually getting our hands on it," replied the girl. She narrowed her eyes at the four guards she would have to take care of. "I'll have to go around if I want to avoid being seen. Wait two minutes, then move in."

"Understood."

She carefully flew down the tree, before darting through the jungle once again. She quickly moved, careful not to attract the attention of the patrols, and reached the other side of the temple just Togun suddenly came out of his hiding place, drawing all's attention.

"Togun! What are you doing here?" asked one of the warriors. "You are no longer worthy of the Blessed Spear. Be gone."

"It is not why I am here, brother!" however assured the boy, panic written over his face. "It is the chosen ones! They are trying to run away and they have taken Kanja!"

"What!?"

"We should cut their route," added the boy. "But we'll need as many men as we can gather, else we will not be able to stop them because of their divine powers!"

"Right! All of you, with me!" ordered the warrior, gesturing for his fellow guardians to follow. "We will leave the temple in the hands of our brothers upstairs. Togun! Lead the way!"

"Let's go!"

And just like that, they were gone. Kaelys smiled a little, but soon focused on her own task. There were still the four guards she had to take care of. Breathing in deeply, she then grabbed her knife, before lifting it using her Telekinesis. She knew she wouldn't be able to use her Magic if it was meant to harm but, if she understood correctly, the Protection was actually rather impractical. After all, she could simply use it with the intent of saving the world behind her actions, and technically…

 **'** **This is ridiculous. There's no way this is going to work—'**

The knife scraped the first guard, then the second one. By the time the other two realized something was wrong with their brothers, those two were already halfway paralyzed. The two left didn't stand a chance as her knife sliced both of their arms, not deep enough to really hurt, but still enough to affect them.

Her knife flew back to her, and she tucked it back to her belt, her lips twitching somewhat mockingly.

"You were saying, Shiro?"

 **'** **That this island is utter bullshit. I say we get the hell out of here.'**

"Agreed, though we still need the Spear first."

Without wasting any more time, she flew out of her hiding spot and landed a moment later at the top of the temple. Careful not to step on the paralyzed guards, she made her way to the entrance. There was no door, merely a round hole through which anyone could walk through, really. Somewhat concerned that such a precious artifact was barely guarded, she then stepped inside.

It was a small room, with no windows. It was completely empty, saved for the Spear that was hung to the wall, and a small stable on which were put a knife, a sickle and… a Celestial key? She shook her head. Now was not the time to get side-tracked. Not wanting to waste more time than she had to, the girl quickly marched up to the Spear, took a hold of it… and a shock ran through her arm.

"Ouch!" She blinked a few times, trying chase the white flashes that suddenly started blinding her. She completely ignored the creepy laugh in the back of her mind. "Damn it! What was that for?"

 **'** **For trying to steal an artifact blessed by the Gods?'**

"It was a rhetorical question!"

But she then realized that she couldn't move anymore. Her hand was stuck to the Spear. She tried to pull her hand away, tried to pry her fingers off, but they just wouldn't budge, and that weapon wasn't getting off the wall anytime soon.

"Damn it!" she cursed, trying to come up with a solution. "What do I do _now?"_

 **'** **Why don't you try looking up? I saw something moving.'**

Surprised, she did as told… and paled. She hadn't noticed when entering the room, but the ceiling was full of holes.

'TCHLING!'

All of said holes were suddenly filled with blades. The teen gulped.

"So… I'm guessing this is a trap…?"

 **'** **No shit!'**

The temple started to shake. Then, much to her horror, the ceiling started coming down. If she didn't act fast, then she'd be crushed in the next minute or so.

"Gah! What do I do? What can I do?" She couldn't use her Magic, no matter how she tried or what her intentions were. Apparently, her powers were useless in that temple. "Oi, Shiro! Any brilliant plan for me?"

 **'** **Don't die?'**

"Obviously! Damn it, what good are you!?"

 **'** **Well, how should I know? You're the one who trespassed on sacred ground and tried to steal a weapon blessed by the Gods!'**

"The Gods? Are you telling me you actually believe this crap?" gaped the girl.

 **'** **Brat, if** ** _Demons_** **exist, why wouldn't Gods?'**

She gritted her teeth, thinking fast. Then, an idea popped in her head. It would take a miracle for it to work but, right now, only a miracle could save her.

"Gods of the past, I beg of you! Grant me permission to wield the Blessed Spear and put an end to the chaos upon the world!"

 **'** **W- what the hell are you doing? Begging? Seriously!?**

"I might not be the worthiest!" she pursued, ignoring her mind-mate. "I might not be the strongest! I can't promise I won't make mistakes, but I can promise that I will stop the Clock! I won't allow the destruction of reality!" The blades were getting closer, and she crouched down, panic growing. "I can promise that I will not fail! I won't fail, no matter what, because…" Her throat went dry as she saw her reflection in the nearest blade but, most of all… because she was about to die. _Alone._ "Because I have too much too lose…"

She closed her eyes, trying to make herself as small as possible while Shirokage ranted angrily in her mind about how she was a useless vessel and he was ashamed of her and all that jazz. But, just as she gave up… the ceiling stopped moving. Her eyes widened at that but, before she could question it, a black maelstrom suddenly opened under her feet, and she started falling.

* * *

.

.

"Lucy-nee? Erik? Beth?"

Kaelys frowned. Why was the Guild empty? Wait, why was she in the Guild anyway? She was in the temple just a few seconds ago! One of the doors suddenly creaked open, just big enough to let enter none other than Levy. The blue-haired girl wasn't anything like the teen remembered her, though. She was wearing some sort of leather armor, she was covered in crass and she had a long, bloody scar on her right arm.

She was also carrying an unconscious and obviously injured Gajeel.

"Shit!" cursed Kaelys, running up to them. "Levy? Levy, what happened? What's going on?"

But the girl completely ignored her and pushed Gajeel on the nearest table. It was only then that the teen realized Levy was crying.

"You jerk!" cursed the Script mage, hiccups in her voice. "You damn, damn jerk… You can't leave like that! Asshole! You can't leave us like that! You can't leave _me_ like that! Gajeel!"

No, Kaelys was wrong. Gajeel wasn't unconscious.

He was… he was…

The doors slammed open, this time letting enter Bickslow, who was carrying Lisanna, and just behind him was Laxus. He was holding Natsu over his right shoulder and Romeo under his left arm.

"G- guys!" gasped Kaelys, growing more and more worried. "What's happening? Where is everyone else—"

"GAJEEL!" Levy's scream drew everyone's attention.

Laxus cursed, dropping the two boys he was holding. He went to the blue-haired girl who was now shaking violently Gajeel, all the while cursing through her desperate cries.

"Levy!" snapped Laxus, pulling her back. The girl struggled, her voice breaking. "Levy, enough! They'll find us if you keep screaming!"

"Gajeel—"

"HE'S DEAD!" Time seemed to stop. Levy froze, no longer screaming, and Laxus sighed. "Gajeel… He's dead. It's over, Levy."

The Script mage slowly brought an hand over her mouth, the tears running down her face faster. She sunk to her knees, the Dragon Slayer still holding on tightly to her shoulders. She tried keeping silent, but muffled whimpers could still be heard.

Kaelys didn't know what to do.

"Ga- Gajeel…?" She slowly walked up to the table where he was lying. "No that- that can't be right. Gajeel can't- he can't be… He's not—" She turned to face the others, shaking. "What the hell is going on here!?"

But no one bothered answering her.

Bickslow lowered his head, hiding his face in his hands.

"This is crazy…" He too was shaking, now. "We lost _everyone…_ The other Guilds were completely annihilated…"

"How did they even find us?" replied Laxus, letting go of Levy. "Only those bearing the mark of Fairy Tail could enter the cave, so how did they get us!?"

"Ah, I believe that would be because of me. My bad, I guess."

Kaelys stiffened.

That voice.

She knew that voice all too well.

Slowly, she turned around… to face herself.

"What the hell?" the teen blurted out.

It really was herself. Same black hair, same height, same face... though the eyes were different.

They were a luminescent yellow, slit in the middle.

"W- what…?" Laxus paled when seeing Not-Kaelys. "You're the one…"

"Yup~!" Not-Kaelys, hands shoved in her pockets, clicked her tongue. "You guys were starting to annoy me. All family this and friendship that… It was _really_ starting to get on my nerves, you know?"

"Do you- do you even realize what you've done!?" exclaimed angrily Bickslow, jumping to his feet. "Gajeel is dead! Everyone is! Because of you, the Demons found our location and completely wiped us off the map!"

"Well, _almost_ completely," shrugged nonchalently the girl. "I came to finish the job."

"What the hell, Kaelys!?" Lightning started crackling around Laxus. "You turned your back on Fairy Tail!? YOU TURNED YOUR BACK ON YOUR FAMILY!?"

"YOU'RE THE ONES WHO ABANDONNED ME!" Not-Kaelys snapped back as the wind picked up in the guild. "WHAT DO YOU THINK HAPPENED WHEN THE DOCTOR GOT ME, UH!? IT WAS BACK TO FUCKING SQUARE ONE!"

"TRAITOR!" screeched Levy.

The blue-haired girl propelled herself at the teen. The real Kaelys could only watch everything unfold, in shock. Then, Not-Kaelys waved her hand and the wooden floor splintered. A gigantic piece rose up, catching Levy by surprise… and impaling her through and through.

"T- traitor…" Blood dropping down her chin, the light vanished from her eyes, and she slumped.

Dead.

"LEVY!" Lisanna had just woken up and was staring at her friend's body, horrified. "NO!"

Before she could say anymore, though, another wood shard flew and passed through her skull like a bullet. Her body collapsed on the floor, her eyes still wide open as red slowly tainted her snowy white hair.

"ENOUGH!" roared Laxus.

"IT'LL BE ENOUGH WHEN YOU WILL ALL HAVE BEEN WIPED OUT FROM EXISTENCE!"

Laxus' lightning hit her mental shield. Not-Kaelys didn't even flinch at the sight, a mad grin stretching on her face.

"You're too weak!" she roared.

She lifted her hand, aiming it at Bickslow, who had been trying to snuck up behind her. His body froze for half-a-second, before he started convulsing, his body spasming. An inhuman screech expressing ultimate agony clawed its way out of his throat as he started _disintegrating_ , the crazy teen using her Telekinesis to undo the particles composing the Seith mage.

Once she was done, only a bloody heap of flesh and bones was left.

"Ah… Ah ah ah…" A chilling laugh escaped her lips as she turned to Laxus, who was staring at the remains of his best friend in horror. Her grin widened. "I've become strong… So much stronger… And no thanks to you or Fairy Tail, that's for sure! Ah! He caught me… Tortured me again… Where were you?" Her smiled dropped instantly, and she took an hesitant step in Laxus' direction. "Where… where was everyone, when I needed them…? I called for help… I was crying… Begging… But you never came… Why didn't you come…?"

"We- we couldn't," choked out Laxus, trembling. He had difficulties thinking straight. "Everything went wrong, we- we lost track, we—"

"EXCUSES!" He was suddenly slammed into the wall, then on the floor. He flew into the ceiling twice, before she let him fall on the ground again. "I WAS TRAPPED AGAIN! I WAS CRYING AGAIN! I STILL… still wasn't strong enough…" She looked down at her shaking hands. "But now… now, I know… I understood what I needed to do… Friends? Family? No, no, they don't make you strong, not at all… They lie to you, they use you, they abandon you…" Her traits then hardened, and she offered him a bitter smile. "The world doesn't need people like you to taint it."

"You're a _murderer,"_ he spat.

"True. But, most of all…" She was suddenly before him, lifting him from the ground with a single hand, without seemingly making an effort. "I'm a _survivor._ No one will ever trap me again. Though, in a way, I guess I should thank you guys, uh? Thanks to you leaving me to be tortured by that madman, I _finally_ managed to reach my full potential." She beamed at him. "Isn't that great?"

Before he could answer, she clenched her hand and snapped his neck in two. She dropped his body without another care in the world, before heading for the two unconscious boys farther away. She stared at them for a while, wondering what to do. After a moment, she kneeled before Romeo. Biting her lower lip, she then opened a portal under him, sending him into her original world. He hadn't done anything to her and he still was just a kid, so she'd show some mercy and let him live.

Once done, Not-Kaelys straightened up, and towered over Natsu. After another moment of consideration, she used her Telekinesis to lift him off the ground, before heading outside.

Still in shock, the _real_ Kaelys followed them.

She felt numb.

They didn't go far, stopping a dozen of meters away from the barely standing Guild. Once Not-Kaelys deemed they were far enough, she dropped the fire mage, before facing the Guildhall… and throwing a gigantic ball of fire at it. The real Kaelys didn't have the time to question _how in the hell can she do that_ because her double then calmly sat down. Without a word, she started waiting, staring as the flames ravaged her home.

 _Their_ home.

"Why… Why did you do this…?" The thief mage went to stand before her double. She didn't understand what was going on, didn't understand why all of this was happening, and she wanted answers, damn it! "WHY DID YOU KILL THEM!?"

But Not-Kaelys didn't answer, merely staring at the Guild without making a sound nor a movement.

Then, as if on cue, Natsu stirred.A fter a few seconds, his eyes snapped open.

"GAH! WHERE THE HELL ARE THOSE BASTARDS!?" He jumped to his feet. "I'm going to kick their… asses…"

He only then noticed the fire ravaging the Guild. He gaped, paling dramatically, and took a step forward.

"What…"

"It's over, Natsu."

The boy snapped his eyes to Not-Kaelys, startled. Then, relief graced his features.

"Lys! I'm so glad you're okay!" He pulled her back on her feet, before bringing her into a tight hug. "We thought- we thought you were _dead!_ And we… lost so many…"

"Why did you leave me, Natsu?"

"U- uh?"

The pink-haired boy pulled away, confused. Not-Kaelys stared at him, her face blank. The real Kaelys was shaking, not knowing what to do.

"Why did you leave me? I don't understand," she stated plainly. "I thought we were family. I believed we would always be together. And for a while, it was true. So, what changed? Was I not good enough anymore? Was I not worth the efforts? What was it, Natsu!? WHAT!? Why did you… why did you guys leave me...?"

"We didn't!" he however protested, pale. "We tried to get you back, but we couldn't find you, and then the Demons started showing up and towns were being destroyed and we had to fight and… and everyone is…" He suddenly stiffened. "Lys… where's everyone?"

"Dead. As they should be."

He stumbled backward, horror freezing his blood.

"What…" Understanding seemed to dawn on him. "Lys... what have you _done_?"

Without a word, the black-haired girl slowly walked back to him. This time, she was the one to hug him. He didn't answer to the embrace, too in shock to react properly.

"It's okay, Natsu." She pulled away, placing her hand over where his heart was. "It's over. You don't have to fight anymore."

"No," protested the real Kaelys, understanding dawning on her. "No! Don't you fucking dare! Don't do this! DON'T-"

"Goodbye, Natsu."

Before the boy could reply, that- that _monster_ used her Telekinesis to pull his heart out. He choked out some blood, eyes glistening with tears, before said eyes lost their spark and he heavily collapsed into the grass.

Dead.

He was dead too.

"NATSU!" Kaelys gripped her own heart, feeling sick. "NO! No, no, no… This isn't… This can't be real…!"

Not-Kaelys stared at Natsu's body for a while longer. Then, she dropped his heart next to his corpse. After what, she started walking away, without another look back to her friend's corpse or the burning Guild of Fairy Tail.

* * *

The real Kaelys suddenly was in a cave. At first startled, she then realized that she wasn't alone, that Not-Kaelys was gone, and that most of the people of the Guild were surrounding her.

"They're… still alive…" She got back up, her legs shaking under her weight and threatening to give in at any moment. "Everyone…"

"THEY'RE COMING!" Warren suddenly barged in, panic lacing his voice. "THEY'RE HERE! THEY FOUND— _urgh!"_

Horrified screams echoed as he dropped to the ground, his throat slit. A shadow appeared as he collapsed, choking on his own blood.

"Well, seems like we've found a little nest of fairies," mused the shadow.

He stepped into the light, his eyes as red as the blood he had just spilled.

"DEMONS!" warned Laxus _oh thank God he's okay—_ "GET UP! EVERYONE!"

And next thing Kaelys knew, it was absolute mayhem.

Demons were suddenly appearing all around, taking the wizards by surprise. She could see some bearing marks other than Fairy Tail's, but no faces she recognized, and realized the cave they were in was probably the last hideout for all wizards.

"MIRA-NEE!"

Lisanna's scream drew her attention, and Kaelys almost fainted when she saw the head of the barmaid neatly separated from her body. Elfman roared in rage and assaulted the Demon, but stood no chance and his throat was cut wide open. Lisanna tried to interfere, but got blasted into a wall, and didn't get up.

Kaelys didn't want to see this. She now understood that whatever she was seeing wasn't real, _couldn't_ be real, but no matter where she looked, she could only see more of her friends falling.

Evergreen being ripped apart from the inside.

The green-haired man loosing both of his arms and left to bath in his blood.

Macao taking the blow meant for his son and dying on the spot.

Jet not being fast enough to escape the deadly claws.

Droy being eaten alive by three carnivorous beasts.

Gajeel protecting Levy and getting shot through the heart.

"RUN!" suddenly ordered Laxus, his voice carried through the chaos. "RETREAT IMMEDIATELY! NOW!"

They couldn't win this fight and he knew it. Without wasting any time, he grabbed both Natsu and Romeo, before running out. He was soon followed by Bickslow, who had picked up Lisanna. Without being noticed, Levy managed to slip through a secret passage with Gajeel.

And suddenly, the fighting stopped.

There were no more wizards to fight with.

Kaelys wanted to throw up. Even if she closed her eyes, she could only see the glassy stares of her friends—her _family._ She couldn't erase de red imprinted into her irises, couldn't stop shaking, she wanted to die here and there—

"Well, seems like you guys had your fun, uh?" mused an all-too familiar voice.

Not-Kaelys was back in all her monstruous glory, as horrifying as the last time the real Kaelys saw her-not five minutes ago.

"Yup! Thanks for the tip, sweet-cheeks!" grinned a fox Demon, licking the blood off of her fingers.

"Have some managed to escape?" wondered the fake.

"A few," shrugged a mantis Demon, kicking Mirajane's head out of his path. "We can track them easily enough."

"There will be no need for this. I'll handle the rest of them myself."

Not-Kaelys vanished as quickly as she appeared, leaving the Demons to feast on their fallen victims, laughing and cheering in victory.

"Stop it…" Kaelys wanted to kill them all. She wanted them to suffer, even if she knew what she was seeing merely was an illusion by now. "GET AWAY FROM THEM!"

* * *

The scenery changed again. This time, she was in an hallway.

There was a window.

Afraid of what she'd find, she however went to look… and instantly backed away. Outside was yet another massacre. All of the Guilds she knew were there, and she recognized too many faces to count.

"Erza… Makarov… Gildarts…" Barely able to move, she however forced herself to walk away. She wanted to cry, but the tears just wouldn't come out. "Beth… Sorano…"

"LYS!"

She snapped her eyes to the source of the voice, relief filling her as she saw Gray running her way. Then, she realized that Not-Kaelys was surely around too. Panicking, she however found no sign of the double and, next thing she knew, the Ice-Make mage was before her.

"Lys, thank the Gods you're okay…" he breathed out, apparently about to cry.

"G- Gray…?"

Angry and pained tears filled his eyes as he suddenly brought her into a hug. The teen stiffened. Why could Gray see her? How could he touch her? What was happening now? This couldn't... this couldn't be real... right?

"I'm sorry, Lys. So, so sorry," he gasped, the tears streaming down his face. "I couldn't save anyone… And- and everyone is dead and you're the only one left here and- and—"

"W- what about Lucy-nee?" she managed to ask. "Erik? Erza? And Wendy and- and Happy and—"

His grip on her only tightened. "They didn't make it. None of them- none of them made it. I- I don't know what happened! We received the order to retreat but a bunch of us stayed behind to find you and then suddenly were were all separated and then I started finding everyone dead and I- and I—" He choked on his sobs, shaking badly. "We couldn't even save Lucy…"

"What are you talking about?" paled the teen. "Where's Lucy!?"

"I'm sorry… I'm so, so sorry…"

Kaelys wanted to scream, to run, to die, whichever she managed to do first. But then, her arm started moving. Her heart started beating fasted as her fingers wrapped themselves around the handle of her knife, hidden behind her.

"G- Gray! Let me go!" she ordered, panicking.

"What? What are you—"

She lifted her arm and, no matter how hard she tried, she simply couldn't control it or pull away from the boy. Suddenly, she plunged her knife into his back. His eyes went wide as he stared down at her, in shock. He stumbled out of her arms and fell on the floor. Gasping for air, he was trying to say something, but was failing miserably, blood dripping down his lips.

"Gray… No! No, I didn't want—I wasn't—This wasn't me!" she protested, sinking to her knees. "I didn't do it! I couldn't control it! Gray? Gray, say something! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please don't go, I didn't mean to, this isn't me, please!"

This time, the tears did come out.

"NO!"

* * *

.

.

Air filled her lungs as she scrambled clumsily to her feet. She hit her head against the wall but completely ignored it. Her heart was beating too fast, she was covered in sweats and the tears just wouldn't stop coming out as she kept seeing her friends' corpses flashing before her eyes—

 **'** **Oi, oi, oi! What the hell is happening to you? Get a grip, brat!'**

"Shi- Shiro…?"

Her legs gave up on her and she collapsed to the floor. After a few more seconds, she finally realized that… she was back in the temple.

She was back in reality, where everyone was still alive.

Where she hadn't killed her friends.

 **'** **What** ** _happened_** **to you? You just kind of froze for a second and the next, you were screaming and crying like a—'**

"It wasn't real…" Kaelys brought an hand to her mouth, the relief feeling her so strong it made her dizzy. "It wasn't real…"

No, it wasn't real. None of it was.

But… it could be. It _might_ be.

She took a few more seconds to settle down. She pushed the visions into the farthest corner of her mind, and focused on her breathing. Once her heart settled down somewhat, once certain she could stand without breaking down again, she rose back on shaky legs.

 **'** **Man… Whatever happened really fucked you up, uh?'**

"You have… no idea."

And then, she looked back at the Spear, which was still on the wall, as she had left it. Though, she didn't remember ever letting it go…

"That was the future, wasn't it?" she asked to no one in particular. Maybe the Gods were listening? "What you have shown me… is what will happen if we don't stop the Clock, right? But it's not… it wasn't to discourage me…" Her eyes hardened. "It was a warning."

Letting out a shaky breath, she then took a hold of the Blessed Spear. This time around, there was no shock, no trap and no other vision. She stared down at the weapon, before tightening her grip, her knuckles turning white.

"I won't fail," she assured, determination settling in. "No matter what, _I will not fail._ And if I do… then I'll be the first to die. By my own hand, if I must."

 **'** **What the _fuck_ are you talking about!?'**

Not bothering with an answer, the teen simply headed outside, intending on meeting up with the others as planned. After a moment of hesitation, she also grabbed the key and shoved it in her pocket, before quickly leaving.

She had wasted enough time as it was.

* * *

.

.

"Damn it! Where is she?"

Erik was pacing, growing more agitated each minute passing. That damn Loudmouth wasn't anywhere to be seen, and the villagers would find them soon enough.

"Maybe I should go back to the temple to make sure she's alright?" proposed Togun, frowning slightly.

Himself had managed to get the warriors to follow a fake trail a while ago. He had then quickly joined up with the others, expecting to find Kaelys… but she wasn't there when he arrived.

"Patience, brats," suddenly replied Kanja, calmly sitting on a rock nearby. "Trust in your friend a little more."

"And stop pacing while you're at it," added Macbeth, running an hand through his hair. "You're giving me a headache..."

Erik scoffed, but did stop. He knew perfectly well Kaelys could handle herself, he _was_ the one who taught her how to fight. However, they didn't know _what_ was in that temple in the first place. What if there were traps? What if she couldn't get out? What if she was injured and—

"S- sorry I'm late!" She suddenly burst through the trees, panting. She was holding the Blessed Spear too. "I- I came as fast… as fast as I could…"

"So you proved yourself to be worthy, then," nodded Togun.

"W- what?" The girl spun on her heels to face him. "You _knew_ this would happen!? Why didn't you tell me!?"

He merely frowned. "I did tell you. Only those judged worthy by the Gods can wield the Spear. I do not know exactly how they have tested you, but you have succeeded. Shouldn't you be happy?"

For a second, the girl was truly tempted to strangle him. When he said not anyone could wield the Spear, she didn't think he meant merely touching it was included in that sick deal.

She shook her head, and looked at Kanja. "Are we set to go?"

"Aa," she confirmed, getting up. "Get in the middle of the circle."

The three wizards did as told while Togun went to stand behind the woman. Then, she started chanting the spell under her breath. As if answering to her voice, a golden light started piercing through the stone under their feet.

"Eh, guys?" Kaelys blinked, realizing something. "We never _did_ ask how that thing worked, right?"

They stiffened at that. Before they could think it over any longer, though, the light became denser, and gold particles started sticking to their skin. The teen looked at the phenomenon in slight awe. Wherever the gold particles landed, the skin started glowing and shining…

"Good luck."

And suddenly, the three wizards were engulfed by the light.

* * *

 _Desert, hidden ruins_

.

.

"Magic doesn't work on him!"

All mages stiffened at Natsu's warning. Gray and Erza quickly went to stand with him, Lucy and Happy. Before them, a few meters away, Byro didn't seem fazed in the least by their previous attack.

"Who knew he was _this_ strong?" frowned the red-haired Knight.

"For sure, this is a pain in the ass," agreed the Ice-make mage.

"No matter how many of you attack me at once, it makes no difference," stated plainly the member of Zentopia. "Against me, wizards are no longer wizards."

"Then I would believe there is only one option left," mused Erza.

Gray cracked his knuckles. "We'll just have to beat the crap out of you with our bare fists."

"Then come!" Byro took a defensive stance. "Even in a physical fight, I'm trained to take on fifty people at once—"

"What- what's happening?" suddenly gasped Lucy, drawing their attention.

Above the fighters, a golden light had started glowing. In a matter of seconds, some sort of magical portal had suddenly appeared… and three familiar wizards fell through.

"YOU BETTER CATCH US LOUDMOUTH!"

"SHUT UP!"

"You guys are too loud…"

The portal vanished as quickly as it appeared, and the three mages suddenly stopped falling, barely a meter away from the ground. They then landed back on their feet, between Byro and the Fairies he had been about to fight with.

"Whew! Didn't see that one coming…" murmured the Thief mage, holding… a spear?

"Ka- Kaelys!" Lucy gaped at them, wide-eyed. "Erik! Macbeth! What…"

"Lucy-nee!" Kaelys quickly ran up to her. "We need to warn everyone! We can't allow all of the parts of the Clock to be brought together! If we do—"

"It's too late, Loudmouth," snapped Erik, looking up to see the different teams that had been sent out earlier now gathered in the ruins. "Everyone's here, and so are the clock parts."

"W- wait, what's going on?" protested the Celestial maiden. "Why—"

Suddenly, the piece Byro was holding started glowing through the wrappings. Kaelys paled, her earlier visions far from forgotten.

"No!"

It flew out of their enemy's hand, high above their heads. Kaelys tried to stop it but her Telekinesis proved to be useless. The other five clock parts soon joined the clock hand, glowing too. As soon as they touched, they disappeared behind a golden light similar to the one that had brought them there in the first place.

Kaelys couldn't find it in herself to be amazed, though.

"No, no, no, this is bad, this is so bad," she murmured, taking a step back. Her grip tightened on the Spear. "I don't know how to use it… We need to stop it, we can't let the Clock form or—"

But it was too late. Far, far too late. The light subsided somewhat, revealing the fully reconstructed Infinity Clock.

Then, it suddenly rang.

"Ack!" Kaelys flinched at the noise.

It rang again.

"ARGH!" Erik collapsed to his knees, hands slapped over his sensitive ears.

And again.

"The crypt is going to be destroyed!" exclaimed Erza.

And again.

"What's this…?" wondered Lucy, afraid.

"Oi, let's not just stand around! We gotta hurry!" pressed Gray.

And again.

"Wait!" suddenly gasped Macbeth, tensing. Much to everyone's concern… he was shaking. "This magical energy… I _know_ it…"

"Someone's coming!" warned Natsu.

Trying to forget about the hellish ringing of the Clock, Kaelys tried to focus instead on the magical signatures she could feel surrounding her. There were her friends… their enemies… the Clock… More people. Almost all of which were way too familiar, but none she could place in her memory.

"Why _hello_ , everyone~!" The teen felt her blood freeze. "It's been a while, uh?"

All looked up to one of the alcoves, where seven people were standing.

The Doctor cheerfully waved her way. "Hi again, sweetheart~! Still as crazy as ever, I'm guessing?"

"Fuck off!" she snarled, fist clenching to tightly her nails pierced the skin.

"Eh? She doesn't seem to like you all that much," snorted a blond man.

Erik scrunched his nose in annoyance. "Zancrow."

"Yo," grinned the red-eyed wizard. "Still alive after all, uh?"

"Useless chit-chat won't get us anywhere," then interfered a guy with sunglasses, arrogance piercing through his tone. "Let us take what we have come for and be done with it."

"You're the asshole from back them!" exclaimed loudly Elfman in the back. "You are no man!"

"My name is Rustyrose. Better remember it, mongrel."

"WHY YOU DAMN—"

"Nii-san!" protested Lisanna, holding him back. "Stop it!"

 _"_ _YOU!"_

Everyone froze at the angry shout. Lucy's eyes widened when none other than Hikaru Kain stepped out of the shadows, even bigger than she remembered him to be.

He seemed to remember her too, unfortunately.

"I'LL GET YOU BACK FOR WHAT YOU DID TO ME ON TENROUJIMA, HEARTFILIA!" he roared.

"Eep!" Lucy wasted no time in disappearing behind Erik, who rolled his eyes but didn't move out of the way.

"Now, now!" chirped… an actually unknown person. It was some sort of teddy bear. Or a machine? Kaelys couldn't tell. "Calm down, Kain! Follow the plan, and everything will work out! Yeh, yeh, yeh!"

Behind him appeared another man Kaelys wasn't familiar with. He was floating above the ground, which was cool enough, and was holding a gigantic scythe too.

"Wonder who that guy is…" she mumbled.

"Enough of the side-show. We have business to attend to."

Kaelys' eyes widened in shock at the voice.

The last hidden person revealed himself. White hair, with bloodshot eyes, and a cruel smirk on his lips.

"B- Brain…" gasped Macbeth, shaking even more than before.

"No." The teen glared up at the man, whose smirk only widened. "That's not Brain. This is Zero."

"Yeh, yeh, yeh! Three in a row!" exclaimed the Teddy-Machine, suddenly pulling on a lever attached to his side. On his stomach, three signs suddenly appeared, just like a game at the casino. "Yes, it is right! Zero, leader of the Reborn Oración Seis! Very glad to make your acquaintance!"

Kaelys gritted her teeth. The situation got a lot more complicated, all of sudden.

 **'** **Well, things just keep getting interesting, uh?'**

* * *

 **Whew, that was _not_ how I expected this chapter to turn out, to be honest. I do apologize for traumatizing some of you, I kind of... got caught up into it? Anyway, you have now met the new members of the Reborn Oracion Seis! Hurray! **

**Hopefully, it won't take too long until the next chapter. Later guys!**


	41. Old Enemies, New Mission

**I'm... so sorry? I had no idea so much time had passed since my last chapter. To be honest, I've been having a pretty harsh case of writer's block, so writing this story is a little hard right. But no worries! I have no intention of giving it up anytime soon, even less when the final season is finally coming out too!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

"Reborn Oración Seis? That's kind of a mouthful," snorted the teen. She then glared at Zero once again. "How the hell are you still alive? I killed you, back on Nirvana!"

"You killed Brain, and underestimated my power," scoffed Zero. "Though I have not forgotten how you have betrayed me, Truth."

"The name's Kaelys, bastard! Why is it so hard to get that through your thick skulls!? And I betrayed no one!" she retorted angrily.

"You assholes, strolling in like you own the place…" then grunted Natsu. "What do you want!?"

At that, the white-haired psychopath grinned. "Chaos. Destruction. To erase all from existence."

"So he's basically the same guy as before, but with a few more gray hairs?" huffed the black-haired teen.

"Legion, Fairy Tail…" All of the members of the Reborn Oración Seis suddenly lifted their hands… toward the Clock. "Your mission is over."

And suddenly, on the Clock, was branded with the Guildmark of those crazy assholes.

"What are they doing?" gasped Dan, the Knight from Zentopia.

"Dan! Don't let them get it!" ordered Byro.

"Understood!"

"You kidding!? That's our line!" retorted Natsu.

The three of them started running toward the new enemy, forgetting about previous grievances for the moment.

"Hn. Maggots have swarmed."

Zero lifted his hand, and a dark-green goo suddenly came out, the attack similar to what Brain had used in the past. Dan took the attack head-on, intending to reflect it with his shield, but it was too strong for him to handle, and managed to blow him away.

"WAA! LUCY-RIN!" cried the Knight, holding to Lucy's leg.

"Don't cling to me in the confusion!" protested the blonde.

"Get out of the way!" suddenly ordered Byro.

"Ah? No way!" protested Natsu.

"To me, all forms of Magic—"

He was suddenly cut off as a gigantic sphere of green and dark light suddenly surrounded the two of them, Zero's attack taking them by surprise.

"What happened to his nullifying ability?" gasped Gray.

"Get lost! You're in the way!"

Erik suddenly pounced, preparing a Roar. Before he could reach Zero, though, Zancrow suddenly appeared before him. The blonde God slayer literally kicked him back on the ground, where he landed so harshly it cracked all around him.

"Erik!"

Using her Telekinesis, Kaelys made Zancrow fly away, but he still managed to land back safely near his companions.

"Ownership of the Infinity Clock is determined by the wizard that carves his seal upon it," then stated the Doctor, grinning mysteriously. He suddenly vanished, only to reappear on top of the Clock. "Otherwise said, it's ours now. Tough luck~!"

It started ringing again, but not as loudly as before.

"Suddenly coming out of nowhere and snatching it away…" Happy clenched his little fists. "That's just cowardly!"

"Well, people of the darkness like us are not even permitted to touch this Clock," shrugged Rustyrose. "Hence why we let you handle the dirty work."

"I- I don't get it… We were manipulated…?" Lucy glanced back to Michelle, who seemed sorrowed. "But my father… Why…"

"Their magic power isn't anything like when we last met," warned Gray.

"Who cares!?" snapped Natsu, back to his feet. " _Fire Dragon's Roar_!"

The unknown guy with wind Magic suddenly appeared, deflecting Natsu's attack without breaking a sweat.

"No way! Natsu's fire was dispersed!?" gasped Gray.

"Wind magic?" Wendy wondered.

"Wind? No, nothing soft like that…" replied the mysterious guy. His hood fell off, revealing a bald head and weird tattoos. "It's a storm. A storm is coming."

"Hey, that voice…" Happy took a step back. "Could it be…"

"You saw right through it!" exclaimed cheerfully the slot machine. "This man was formerly in Eisenwald! He is most definitely… Erigor-sama!"

"My name is Grim Reaper," stated blankly the man in question.

"Erigor!?" Natsu's jaw dropped.

"No way!" echoed Gray.

"Wait, who's that guy?" frowned Kaelys, obviously missing a part of the story.

"An old friend of theirs, I guess you could say."

A shock ran through her whole body and she instantly swung her knife at the Doctor, who had suddenly appeared behind her. The man laughed, merely jumping back to avoid the blade. She held her weapon toward him, eyes wide.

"Don't you fucking touch me!" she snarled.

"Kaelys!" Lucy instantly pulled out one of her Keys. "Open, Gate of the Phoenix! _Phoenix_!"

A blast of light followed, and the Spirit of Light appeared. The red-haired girl instantly dashed ahead and propelled herself at the mad Doctor. A lasso materializing in her hands, she threw it at her opponent and managed to catch him before he could disappear again.

 _"Hikari: Tamashi Hantei!"_

"ARGH!"

Doctor Shawn put a knee on the ground, panting, as the lasso suddenly tightened and started glowing. He was shaking slightly, his hair shadowing his eyes, and whimpers were echoing—

No. Not whimpers.

 _Chuckles_.

"Is that all you can do…?" And he vanished, the lasso dropping to the floor.

Phoenix's eyes widened. No one could escape the Soul Judgment once they were caught. Its powers were very specific: whoever was caught would be forced to endure all the regrets and guilt they ever felt for their evil deeds. Even the worst of monsters suffered from it, if only because they were aware that what they had done or were doing was wrong. But this guy… The only way he could have escaped was if he actually believed he was doing the right thing!

The lasso disappeared, leaving place to a sword made of light.

"Kaelys, fall back!" she barked, aware the enemy was much closer than they could realize.

"Phoenix—"

"Now!"

Frowning, the girl however did as told. As soon as she deemed the distance between the two of them sufficient, the Spirit lifted the sword above her head.

 _"Hikari: Hiyake!"_

None could hide in the shadows if she was there to shed the light. The whole cave was instantly illuminated, so brightly it blinded all their enemies. Almost instantly, the Doctor dropped from the ceiling, his Magic momentarily nullified. Phoenix instantly grabbed the opportunity and jumped, ready to meet him halfway with her sword. Before she could cut his head clean, though, she was suddenly hit into the side by o dozen of arrows sent by none other than Rustyrose.

"Phoenix!" exclaimed Lucy, horrified, as her Spirit landed on the ground with numerous arrows sticking out of her body.

"I'm… I'm sorry…"

And the Spirit of Light vanished with a burst of golden sparkles. The Celestial mage gritted her teeth. Summoning Phoenix had taken its toll on her, and she could probably summon only one other Spirit, two if she really pushed it.

It wouldn't be enough. Not against those guys.

There were only eight of them against pretty much all of the powerhouses from Fairy Tail. However, not only said powerhouses were rather worn out from previous battles already, but they were also confused as to what was happening, and what exactly the Reborn Oración Seis wanted with the Clock. Let's also not forget that the members of said Dark Guild were not only former enemies holding grudges but also former enemies holding grudges who had had seven years to grow stronger since the last time they saw them.

That… didn't really improve their chances.

 _And for Doctor Shawn to be here too… Kae's in danger!_

"I won't let you do whatever the hell you want!" suddenly exclaimed the teen, running ahead. She pointed the spear Lucy had noticed earlier toward the Clock. "I'll destroy this Clock and put an end to this!"

She took off, flying fast toward the Clock. Zero's eyes widened in understanding.

"Don't let her get near the Clock!" he shouted, panic edging in his voice.

Another dozen of arrows fell upon her but crashed on her mind shield. Kaelys wasn't slowing down, her eye narrowed on her goal. She had to destroy it, no matter what. Otherwise… otherwise, the future she had witnessed would…

"Head in the game, Loudmouth!"

Erik suddenly flashed passed her, just in time to stop Zancrow from getting to her. Realizing her worries were sidetracking her, she focused on the task at hands, deciding to trust her friends to have her back.

When Zancrow tried to stop her, Erik got to him first.

When Rustyrose tried to put her down, Macbeth reflected all of his creations.

When Hikaru Kain tried to get in her way, both Gray and Erza got in his.

When that Erigor guy tried to blow her away, Wendy and Natsu protected her from the blast.

When the Doctor suddenly appeared before her, Lucy knocked him away with Taurus' help.

When the slot-machine teddy bear… no wait, that weirdo didn't do anything.

All of the members of the Reborn Oración Seis were preoccupied, clearing the path for Kaelys. And finally, finally, she reached the Clock.

"The future I saw…" She brandished the Spear. "For the sake of my friends, I won't let it happen!"

She thrust it with all the strength she could muster. She could already see the Clock fly in pieces, see the future she had witnessed vanish into nothing more than a bad memory, see everyone go back to the Guild safe and sound—

"No."

Her eyes widened in horror as Zero suddenly appeared between her and the clock, grabbing the Spear and effectively stopping her attack. A feral, maniacal glint was lighting his bloodshot eyes.

"I've let you throw my plans in jeopardy once, Kaelys of Fairy Tail," he spat, holding onto the Spear so tightly it wasn't moving an inch, no matter how hard the girl pulled. "It is not a mistake I'll make again. Doctor Shawn, if you'd please?"

"Of course, of course~!"

The teen stiffened, glancing below where everyone else was busy trying to hold off the members of the Dark Guild. The Doctor shook off his opponents with terrifying ease, before vanishing. He reappeared on the alcove where they had all showed up just a few minutes earlier. With a snap of his fingers, his fellow members then disappeared, only to reappear beside him.

He winked. "Night, night, Fairies!"

A black hole suddenly opened, covering in the span of a second the entire ground. Kaelys could only stare, in shock, as her friends all got swallowed by utter darkness. She tried to use her Telekinesis to stop them, but her powers were nullified by the Doctor's magic.

"NO— _ugh_!"

Her cry was cut short as Zero grabbed her by the throat, choking her.

"Don't worry," he sneered as she struggled helplessly in his grasp. "You'll see them soon enough."

With a single, harsh throw, she suddenly found herself falling. She could only stare, tears in her eyes, as the Clock started getting farther and farther, with Zero holding the Spear.

"I failed…?"

And darkness took over.

* * *

.

.

When Kaelys regained consciousness, she was almost instantly blinded by the pastel colors surrounding her. Everything was so bright, and kind of familiar too… It took her a while longer to notice someone was playing with her hair. Tilting her head up, she saw none other than Sorano smiling down at her.

"Finally awake?"

"… Sorano. What happened?" The teen sat up, glancing around. "Why am I at Blue Pegasus? Where's everyone?"

"Everyone's fine, Loudmouth."

She snapped her eyes to the bar, where Erik, Macbeth, Lucy, Gray, and Erza were sitting. Happy was on top of the counter and Natsu was leaning against it. She slowly rose up to her feet and glanced downstairs, only to find the rest of their guildmates resting.

"Aw, is my precious Kaelys-chan awake~?" suddenly exclaimed a bald man with a ballerina outfit.

"Master Bob," she greeted, still somewhat confused. "Everyone… What exactly is going on? All I remember is falling into the black hole…"

"Actually, we have Ichiya to thank," informed Lucy. "He found us in the desert, where the Doctor dumped us. Why they let us go, though…"

 **'About time you woke up, brat. Don't you have a Spear to get back or something?'**

The teen stiffened at that, only then remembering Zero and the Blessed Spear and the Infinity Clock she had failed to destroy and the future that was now certain to unfold and—

Choking, she sunk to her knees. Her reaction instantly alerted her friends.

"Oi, Loudmouth!"

"Kae? What is it?"

"Are you alright, Kaelys?"

"Lys!"

Sorano kneeled next to her, worried. "What's going on? What—"

"I- I lost it!" Tears were prickling her eyes. "The Spear! I lost it! Zero took it and- and I couldn't do it! I couldn't destroy the Clock! And now- now everyone's going to die and I saw it and- and it's my fault and I killed everyone and I—"

In three steps, Erik was before her. Without hesitation, he slapped her, the strength of the blow enough to make her head turn. There was a moment of silence.

"Breathe," he simply ordered.

So she did. Forcing herself to calm down and ignore the bloody visions that just wouldn't go away why can't they just disappear damn it—

 _Breathe. Just breathe._

 **'Geez, whatever you saw back on that island really freaked you out, uh?'**

When she managed to return to her senses, Erik and Macbeth were pretty much done with explaining what exactly was the Spear and why it was so important.

There still were a few questions that went unanswered, though.

"Lys, what did you mean by what you said earlier?" asked Gray, frowning. "You said you saw it, but…"

The girl bit her lower lip, her head hung low. "I… Back in the temple, the Spear had… it had to judge me worthy. And- and something came up and it's a little fuzzy so I can't say what but then I saw it. All of it." She finally dared to look back at her friends, and distinct horror was written over her face. "The future. _Our_ future."

Sorano helped her back to her feet but didn't let go when realizing the teen was shaking so badly she wouldn't be able to stand on her own.

"I saw you die," she choked out. "Your bodies. Your deaths. All of it. No one escaped it… All because the Clock wasn't destroyed and chaos descended upon the world. I could only watch as you all got killed… And now…" Unable to stop them, tears started rolling down her cheeks. She hid her face behind her hands. "I lost the Spear… I failed… and- and the future I saw—"

She couldn't say more. All she could see were her friends dying by her hands and the blood tainting her and she just couldn't bring herself to tell them that part because what would they think then?

Sorano brought her into a gentle, but firm hug. The girl instantly hugged back, desperate for some kind of support as she tried to fight back the visions and the screams echoing in her mind. The white-haired woman whispered softly in her ear, trying to calm her down, but let's be frank: what could she say after what Kaelys had just told them? And Kaelys couldn't stop apologizing. Through wrecked sobs, she choked out apologies and pleas of forgiveness, and Sorano just wanted to make her forget somehow because no one should have had to see what she had seen.

Then, without warning, Natsu stepped forward. His hand landed on top of the girl's head, and she froze. Her apologies died on her lips as her muscles stiffened. She was afraid of what he'd say, of what everyone would say—

"It's okay, Lys." She snapped her eyes up at him, startled. He grinned. "Everything's fine!"

"How can you say this!?" she protested, gritting her teeth. "You didn't see it! There was nothing we could do—"

"But that hasn't happened yet, right?" he replied confidently. "We can still go back and kick their asses, and take back that Spear and destroy the Clock, right?"

"I… I don't…"

"You don't know exactly when that future you saw is going to happen, right?" pointed out Macbeth. "We've still got time."

"I- I guess so…"

"We'll retrieve that Spear and destroy the Infinity Clock," assured Erza, smiling reassuringly at her.

"And we'll take care of that damned Doctor while we're at it," added Gray, cracking his knuckles.

"Don't worry, Kae!" Lucy beamed at her. "We're Fairy Tail, right? We can handle anything!"

From below, the rest of their friends started shooting their agreement or cheering along. Kaelys gaped, taken aback. She had just told them she had seen them die, and they didn't even seem fazed in the slightest.

"You guys…"

"They're an overly altruistic bunch," snorted Erik, shaking his head. "And stubborn idiots too. You should have gotten used to it by now."

Some more tears escaped her eyes, though it was getting pretty annoying with the eyepatch on. She swallowed back her sob.

"See?" then grinned Natsu once more. "We've got this in the bag. So don't worry, all right? We're not giving up anytime soon!"

::

 _"Goodbye, Natsu."_

 _Before the boy could reply, she used her Telekinesis to pull his heart out. He choked out some blood, eyes glistening with tears, before said eyes lost their spark and he dropped into the grass._

::

"Natsu…" Determination settled in. She wouldn't let that future happen, no matter what. "You're right. Let's do this!"

She finally released Sorano. The woman casually handed her a few tissues so that she could wipe away her tears. Then, she sighed.

"Seriously, I can't believe you guys," the woman remarked. "You just can't stay out of trouble, can you? You go missing for seven years and the first thing you do when coming back is getting involved with a reborn Dark Guild who's intention is to destroy the world."

"Which is kind of ironic, considering that's how _we_ basically started," snorted Erik.

"Nirvana, eh?" mused Macbeth, leaning on his palm. "It sure has been a while…"

"Should we warn the others? Richard and Sawyer, I mean," then proposed Kaelys, her voice a little hoarse from her crying fit.

"I've already contacted them," assured Sorano. "And I'll give them the rest of the information. If they pick up anything concerning the current location of the Clock or the Reborn Oración Seis, I'll let you know right away."

"Blue Pegasus will do its best to provide support!" then exclaimed Ichiya, seemingly appearing out of nowhere and scaring the crap out of Kaelys. "Ah, just like old times, isn't it? Our three Guilds teaming up to defeat the enemy!"

At that, Kaelys couldn't help but snort. It really was ironic, when she thought about it. The three Guilds who had defeated Oración Seis seven years prior were now collaborating again to get rid of the new threat, though this time with the help of the ex-criminals they had beaten in the first place.

"Well, we should probably head back to our own Guild for now," then announced Erza, hands on her hips. "We have to report to the Master and formulate a new plan. Master Bob, we shall keep in touch and inform you if anything else comes up."

"Likewise," nodded the Master of Blue Pegasus. "Do be safe on your way back, children!"

Understanding it was their cue to leave, Kaelys turned to Sorano and hugged her tightly once again.

"Thanks for the help, Sora."

"I didn't do anything," chuckled the woman.

"You were there. That's quite enough for me."

The ex-Celestial mage smiled at that, hugging back the teen. Once they were done, Sorano turned to the other two ex-members of Oración Seis.

"Macbeth, I'm honestly scared to see you awake without going on a rampage," she bluntly admitted. "But acting half-human suits you, I guess."

That earned her a snort from the Reflector mage, who however didn't reply. Now that he thought about it, he did feel a little sleepy. Maybe he should try to find another of those magical carpets…

"And _you_." Sorano turned to Erik, arms crossed over her chest. "I've left the girl in your care and she came back with an eye missing. If she doesn't come back in one piece after this whole mess is dealt with, I _will_ hold you responsible. Got it?"

"Annoying woman," muttered the Poison Dragon Slayer, rolling his eyes. "Stop acting so overprotective."

Macbeth snorted again.

Lucy, who had overheard them, facepalmed.

Erza's lips twitched into a smile.

Gray and Natsu muffled their laughter, though without much success.

Happy started giggling.

Wendy found herself smiling.

Gajeel let out his characteristic laugh.

In fact, pretty much everyone in the Guildhall had heard him and was now trying to either muffle their laughter or hide their smiles.

"What?" grunted Erik, his eye twitching in annoyance.

"You're really not one to talk," Kaelys deadpanned.

"What the hell do you mean, Loudmouth?"

There was a moment of silence—"SISTER COMPLEX!"

That had been… pretty much the whole Guild. The members of Blue Pegasus present could only watch in stunned silence. It had been _loud_ , damn it! And now, their guests from Fairy Tail had finally cracked and started outright laughing.

Erik tried to hold it in. He really, really did.

His efforts were in vain, though.

"I DO _NOT_ HAVE A SISTER COMPLEX!"

Which, obviously, only made them laugh some more. Sorano shook her head in mild disbelief, not having expected Erik, of all people, to be teased of the sort. Kaelys simply found herself smiling once more. In the end, Natsu and all the others were right. They were Fairy Tail, and they would accomplish their mission, no matter what.

* * *

.

.

They were back to the Guild by the end of the day. Everyone went home to get some more rest, agreeing to gather together the next day to clear things up with the rest of their members and the Master.

Kaelys didn't sleep, though.

 **'Ugh, you already have more than enough issues, kid. Do you really need to add insomnia to the mix?'**

"Not my fault," she mumbled, sitting on the couch. She was holding her legs against her chest, staring at the small flame dancing on top of the candle before her. "It's just that… If I close my eyes…"

::

 _"T-traitor…" Blood dripping down her chin, the light vanished from her eyes, and she slumped._

 _Dead._

::

She rubbed her eyes tiredly.

She could still see them.

She could still hear them.

She could feel their blood on her hands.

"I can't let this happen," she murmured, holding her head tightly. "I'd rather die first. There's no way I'll… that I'll…"

 **'Tche, don't even try it. I'll bring you back.'**

"Then I'll kill myself again and again and again, until not even you can bring me back!" she practically snarled. "No matter what… no matter what…"

"Kaelys…?"

The black-haired girl stiffened. Looking back, she saw Lucy, standing in the doorway. The blonde offered her a small smile and came to sit next to her.

"Can't sleep?"

"… no. No, I can't. Not after what I saw. Not after…" She felt sick again, but she held it in. "No. No way. I don't want to see this again."

"Oh, Kae…"

Lucy gently brought her into her arms. The girl didn't fight it, simply breathing in deeply the familiar scent of the Celestial mage.

It smelled comforting.

It smelled like home.

"What did you see, Kae?"

She stiffened at that. She didn't want to talk about it. She didn't want to remember.

"Maybe if you talk about it, it'll help ease your heart," gently proposed the blonde.

Kaelys mulled it over for a moment. What would Lucy say if she told her absolutely everything? What would she think of her? Would she fear her? Hate her? No, she couldn't. Kaelys couldn't even bear the thought of Lucy hating her.

The blonde only tightened her hold on her, though. "Kae, no matter what you saw, I could never hate you. _Never_."

The Thief mage felt like crying again.

"I… I didn't know what was going on at first," she admitted, her voice shaking. "I was suddenly in the Guild and it was empty and I was just so confused… Then- then Levy came in, carrying Gajeel. He was… dead. Levy died. Lisanna died. Then there was Bickslow and then Laxus and I don't- I don't really remember what happened to Romeo and then there was Natsu and his heart was torn out of his chest! And- and then I changed places and I was in a cave and suddenly everyone started fighting against demons or- or monsters and I couldn't do anything! And they all fell, one after the other…" She started rubbing her wrists. "There was Mira's head at my feet and blood everywhere and- and… And the place changed again and suddenly there was a battlefield outside and Erza was dead and Master Makarov was dead and everyone was dead and then… then Gray showed up and he… stabbed… he got stabbed in the back… And he told me you were dead too and I just… I just…"

"Shh, it's okay," assured Lucy, rocking her a little. "Everything's okay. No one's dead and everyone is fine. Whatever you saw isn't going to happen—"

"But you don't understand!" snapped the teen, unable to hold it in any longer. She pulled away and jumped to her feet, taking a few steps back. "Lucy-nee… Everyone died because of me…"

"Losing the Spear was not your fault—"

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" Lucy instantly fell silent at the sudden outburst. Tears started rolling down Kaelys's cheeks once more. "I'm… I'm the one who killed them… every last one of them… I'm the one who killed Levy, and Lisanna and Bickslow and Laxus… I'm the one who pulled out Natsu's heart… I'm the one who lead the demons to the cave where everyone was hiding… I'm the one who stabbed Gray in the back…"

She didn't dare look at Lucy. She couldn't bear seeing the horror in her eyes.

"I completely lost it. I was so strong and- and completely insane. I wasn't in control anymore and I wanted to kill you guys and I just- I can't let this happen!" She wrapped her arms around herself. "I can't… I don't want this… Please, I don't want to do this…"

Silence took over, only broken by Kaelys's sobs. Then, after what felt like an eternity, Lucy moved. She slowly got up, walked up to her, and stopped just before her. Then, against all expectations, she gently wiped away the girl's tears, forcing Kaelys to look at her in the process.

"I know you, Kaelys." She then smiled at her. "You're too strong to let this happen."

She choked at that. "I'm scared, Lucy-nee. So, so scared…"

The blonde took her in her arms once more, and simply let her cry to her heart's content. She couldn't imagine what Kaelys was going through and, frankly, she didn't want to. She knew Kaelys said she had seen the future, and she knew that the teen was saying the truth… but that future wasn't one she managed to believe.

Not when its supposed antagonist was bawling her eyes out in her arms.

"We can still win this fight, Kaelys," she assured. "So don't give up, all right?"

The purple-eyed girl nodded mutely, unable to speak up.

Unbeknownst to the two of them, their two housemates were eavesdropping. Erik knew for a fact that Kaelys hadn't told them everything earlier, and he had been intending on asking her later in the night, but Lucy had beaten him to it. So, he ended up eavesdropping, and Macbeth simply tagged along for the sake of curiosity. To be frank, they weren't all that surprised. Kaelys going on a killing spree was a possibility they had learned to live with ever since she joined Oración Seis. They both knew how broken the girl already was, and that it wouldn't take much for her to fall over the edge.

"We can't let the Doctor get her," he stated in a low tone. "He's the only reason I can think of that would destroy Loudmouth of the sort. If he ever gets his hands on her… then it's game over. For everyone."

Macbeth simply nodded. "Should we warn the others?"

"No," he instantly refused. "Most won't be as understanding as Sunshine or us, they'll surely freak out and it won't help the situation."

"I guess. Though, one way or another, they already know the threat the Doctor represents," pointed out his friend with a shrug. "It shouldn't be too hard to convince them to protect her or something like that."

"Aa. Though, if that scum shows up again, I'll be the one who'll rip his fucking throat out," growled the Dragon Slayer.

Macbeth merely nodded in agreement.

* * *

.

.

"So Oración Seis is back, uh?" repeated Macao, rubbing his temples. "Just what we didn't need, seriously."

"So that's why the old Master got summoned by the Council, uh?" understood Wakaba.

"I would say so," confirmed Erza. "Many of our former enemies have now gathered and formed a Dark Guild, some of which we were not ever expecting to see again."

"Ah! You can say that again," grunted Kaelys, sipping her smoothie. "To think I slit that bastard's throat and made him fall down from Nirvana, and he's still alive? I call _bullshit_."

"Erigor wasn't a face I was expecting to see again," mused Gray. "Man, that brings back memories…"

"And it would explain how Doctor Shawn has not only managed to escape the Magic Prison but also managed to completely erase his existence," pointed out Lucy, frowning. "As we suspected, a bigger organization was behind all this."

"Let's not forget they had seven years to grow stronger," sighed Macbeth. "Rustyrose, Hikaru Kain, Zancrow… They're not the same people we fought back on Tenroujima."

"We were completely helpless against them," sighed Carla.

"Ugh! To think I couldn't do anything!" cursed Romeo, frustrated.

"No. When you get down to it, it was my fault," announced Michelle, lowering her eyes in shame.

"It's not your fault, Michelle!" assured the blonde mage. She then snapped her eyes to Kaelys, who had been about to add something. "And it isn't yours either, Kae. My father should have left us a more detailed message, and none of us could have known what was going to happen."

"About that, Lucy-san…" Everyone turned their attention to Wendy. "How _did_ your father get involved with that Clock?"

"I'm afraid I don't know that myself, and all the Spirits know is less than what Kae, Erik, and Macbeth found on that island," apologized the Celestial mage.

"We'll solve that mystery another day," then announced Erza, stepping in to take control of the situation. "Right now, we must find Oración Seis and take back the Spear so that we may destroy the Infinity Clock. It is the only way to stop the 'chaos upon the world'."

"Anyway, let's go!" exclaimed Natsu, pumped up. "If we search here and there, they'll probably turn up eventually, right?"

"Forget it," instantly refused Gray. "This time, we should form a plan first and then act on it."

"Aah? Where's your drive!? Thinkin' about stuff won't get us nowhere!" protested the pink-haired moron.

"It ain't a question of drive! You can't always just go and pick a fight, ash-for-brains!" retorted the ice-make mage.

They instantly started a brawl, Gray losing his shirt in the process. Most members rolled their eyes at the familiar sight, but even Erza didn't stop them. The boys needed to get rid of that pent-up energy if they wanted to get anywhere. Kaelys sighed, sinking a little more in her seat. She knew that, while everyone believed what she saw, they didn't really realize it.

They hadn't seen what she saw. If they did, they wouldn't be so carefree.

"Though I probably wouldn't be here either," she muttered under her breath.

Erik shot her a look but didn't say anything.

"Everyone is rather on edge, uh?" remarked Wendy, easily noticing the tensed atmosphere.

"It can't be helped when all we can do is stand around with our arms folded," pointed out Carla.

"And many of us aren't here," added Erza. "It has to be at a time like this, when even one more person would make a big difference…"

And then, as if on cue, the door of the Guild slammed open, letting enter four very familiar mages.

"Yo! We're back!"

"The Thunder God Tribe is back from a job."

Kaelys didn't know whether to laugh at the timing or facepalm because seriously, couldn't these guys have been here a little earlier?

"Did… something happen?" then asked the green-haired man, somewhat confused about the strange atmosphere lingering in the Guildhall.

"Some old bastards formed a Dark Guild and took possession of a magic Clock that can control time with the intent of completely destroying the world," she resumed in a plain tone. "Other than, though… Nan, nothing _really_ happened."

Evergreen, Freed and Bickslow exchanged a glance, unsure if they heard her correctly. Laxus simply groaned, rubbing a hand over his face.

He suddenly felt very, very tired.

"All right. Explanation. _Now_."

* * *

"So the Infinity Clock will bring about the end of the world?" understood Bickslow. "And the only way to destroy it was taken by the bad guys? Man, we leave for what, a week? And you guys managed to get into this mess…"

"Bad timing, eh?" mused Evergreen, closing her fan. "Had we been there, Oración Seis would have been defeated in the blink of an eye. Ah! I bet Laxus could have taken all of them out on his own."

"Actually, on the way back…" Everyone looked at Freed, surprised he was apparently correcting his teammate. "I was out grocery shopping by myself as usual when I ran into a group of soldiers who had been guarding a church. They were talking about two men, one holding a large sickle and the other that kept vanishing, or so they said. Apparently, both of them single-handedly destroyed the church in Shirotsume."

"A large sickle and a guy who could vanish?" echoed Happy.

"Erigor and that damn Doctor!" understood Natsu, hitting his fists together.

"From what I've gathered, attacks on different churches have suddenly increased in the past two or three days," added Freed.

"When you hear something like that, you have to tell us!" protested Bickslow, taken aback by that new information.

"He did," snorted Laxus, arms crossed behind his head as he leaned back in his seat. "You two were just too preoccupied with eating."

At that, the two concerned flushed in mild embarrassment. Erza however sighed, drawing back all's attention.

"That is another mystery we have yet to solve. Why are they attacking churches?" she wondered.

"Since they got their hands on the Infinity Clock, it sounds like Oración Seis has gotten even more out of hand," pointed out Lucy.

"Maybe because they're looking for something?"

At that, all eyes snapped to Kaelys.

"What do you mean, Lys?" wondered Gray.

"Well, it's just… If they had activated the Clock already, we would have noticed, right?" she remarked. "But saved for those churches, nothing came up. So, I'm saying that maybe they're still missing something for the Clock to work properly. That would explain why the 'chaos upon the world' hasn't happened yet, and why they've suddenly grown agitated. With the Clock now in their hands, they have to act fast to find what is missing."

"And whatever that his might very well be hidden in one of the churches," understood Erza, nodding. "That might be a good lead."

"Then what are we waiting for?" cheered Natsu, jumping to his feet. "Let's go and find whatever they're looking for before them!"

Erik answered to his idiocy with a fist slammed on his skull.

"Have you learned _nothing_ , flame-dick?" He started hitting him over the head again, to try and get through his thick skull. "They've used us once to get what they wanted! What makes you think we'll be able to protect whatever they're looking for if we ever get our hands on it? Not only do we still not know what it is, but it could turn out for the worst like how we tried to help with the Clock!"

"Ow, ow, ow, stop it! I get it, I get it!" whined the pink-haired boy.

"No, you don't! You're still thinking about running off on your own!" accused the Sound mage.

"Natsu!" snapped the red-haired Knight. "You will wait until further development. Erik is right: rushing in could very well only aggravate the situation. We're still lacking a lot of information—too much for us to act."

"In a way, wouldn't it be better to let them keep looking?" then proposed Kaelys. "We know they're attacking churches, so why don't we go and try to take them by surprise? If worst comes to worst, I could act as bait and have the Doctor take me to their main base—"

"NO!"

The teen could only blink, startled by the loud and unanimous refusal.

"Chibi, you've _got_ to be an idiot if you think we're gonna let you walk away with that psycho," pointed out Laxus, cracking an eye open to look at her.

She huffed at that, a little insulted. "I'm not! I was merely proposing a logical, last-stand kind of plan. You know, if we run out of good ones."

"We're not letting you anywhere near that guy, Loudmouth," warned Erik, exchanging a knowing glance with Macbeth. "Leave him to us, alright?"

"I guess…. Though, Erza?"

"Yes?"

"You said we needed more people, right?" recalled the teen. "Then why don't we ask Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale for help? You guys teamed up in the past to beat us, and I know for a fact that at least Sorano, Sawyer, and Richard will want to help. That means we can more than probably enroll the three glittering flirts along with that super strong guy… Jura, right? And Gray, your friend came to help you and Juvia when finding the Clock part, didn't he?" She gestured to all of the Fairy Tail members around her. "We're only one Guild against super strong assholes. And yeah, we're pretty strong too, but not enough to handle everything on our own. So, what's stopping us from creating an alliance and kick their asses?"

They all gaped at her, surprised.

Then, Laxus snorted. "Not bad, chibi. Not bad at all."

"I shall contact Blue Pegasus right away," agreed Erza. She then glanced at Macao. "If you agree, of course, Master."

"Uh? Sure thing. Kaelys's right, we need more people. The alliance worked last time, so I don't see why we can't do that again," simply shrugged the man.

"Then I'll handle Lamia Scale," proposed Gray.

"I guess that means the rest of us have to wait here, uh?" understood Lucy with a sigh.

"Until everyone gets here, I guess," confirmed Kaelys. "There's no point in planning anything if everyone isn't here."

"Why don't we try looking up some articles to see if we can find a pattern to the attacks on the churches?" then proposed Levy with a smile. "It should pass the time, and it could be useful."

"Oh, I'll help!" exclaimed Wendy, glad to be able to help.

"Me too," nodded Lisanna, smiling a little.

"I guess it beats doing nothing," grunted Erik, coming to sit with them. "Like some lazy bastard I know."

Macbeth, who was already asleep, merely replied with a snore, which made everyone snicker a little. Now that they had something to do, the restlessness they were all feeling lifted a little, letting them breathe more properly.

Kaelys smiled a little as Mirajane left with Levy to go fetch the journals they would need. She wasn't a fan of research, but Erik was right: it beat doing nothing. Hopefully, the other Guilds wouldn't take too long to answer, and—

 **'BOO!'**

"Gah!"

Pain spread in her left eye. Dozens of needles were piercing through, and she could almost feel a second heart beating in its place.

"—Kae? Kae!"

Head spinning a little as the pain finally lessened, her gaze met Lucy's.

"Shoot, I forgot about that part," cursed Erik, before turning to Freed. "Oi, Justin! The rune in her eye got damaged while we were on the island. Can you do anything?"

The Rune mage frowned, quickly going over to the chair where Lucy had helped Kaelys sit. The girl didn't move as the man took off her eyepatch to check. His frown deepened when realizing that the rune he had inscribed in her eye was indeed damaged. It looked cracked in some places, and the color wasn't as pronounced.

"What exactly happened?" he asked.

"Some whacky Magic," grumbled the teen, annoyed more than anything else. "No Magic meant to harm could be used on the island, and said island judged that a rune meant to imprison something was harming said something, and there was another Magic messing up with time too, so it started destroying the rune little by little by going back in time or something like that."

"Freed, can you do anything about it?" wondered Laxus.

"I'm afraid it is out of my control," answered apologetically the green-haired wizard. "Rewriting another rune over this one is not going to work. It wouldn't last as long and would be much weaker. And unfortunately, I cannot erase this one either. I cannot guarantee the safety of Kaelys if I do so."

"But… what exactly _will_ happen if the rune breaks?" asked Lucy, afraid of the answer she'd receive.

"Then Kaelys and the Demon will go back to fighting for control," he bluntly admitted. "I could try to seal it again, but it wouldn't be of much use, and would probably be even more painful than the first time. The more times I use such a rune, the less effective it will get, much like young Wendy's Troia spell, if you wish for an accurate example."

"So there's basically nothing we can do?" resumed Evergreen, glancing worryingly at the girl.

"I'm afraid so."

Kaelys then sighed. "Well, we already knew the rune wouldn't hold on forever anyway. I guess it just came earlier than planned. For now, though, we have to focus on the Infinity Clock. My situation can be dealt with later, once those psychos are behind bars again."

At that, the rest of the mages present could only agree. In their current situation, time was a luxury they couldn't afford. They needed to get their priorities straight and get rid of one problem at a time.

"Hey, everyone!" Levy and Mirajane were suddenly back, arms full of papers and journals.

They dropped all of it on the table. Shaking her head, Kaelys went to sit with the Celestial mage. Worrying about Shirokage could wait. Right now, they had a group of maniacs to stop and a world-destroying godly Clock to destroy.

* * *

"There you go!"

"Thanks, Kinana!"

The purple-haired woman smiled down at the young teen but, just as she tried to reply, her vision blurred. The clatter of her tray hitting the floor instantly drew the attention of all of those present, and Erik was by her side in a flash.

"Kina?" He frowned, crouching next to her. "Hey, what's wrong—"

Her head suddenly snapped up, startling most. Her eyes had turned to a yellow shade and were slit in the middle like a snake's eyes. Slowly, she rose to her feet, stumbling as she grabbed a fork and started heading for the wall.

"What's happening to her?" frowned Kaelys.

"She's remembering," answered the Poison Dragon Slayer, listening intently to the soul of his best friend. "Her past has been coming up for a while now, but this… this is something else, though."

"Hey, what's she doing?" wondered Lucy.

Kinana was now engraving some sort of symbols into the wall. The rest of the Fairies could only watch as she did so, completely engrossed in her task and murmuring about the end of the world that was nearing.

"She's having some sort of vision," flinched Erik, rubbing his temples. "I can't hear much."

"This is ancient Potamelian," suddenly recognized Levy. Kinana kept on writing, unperturbed. "They're the same as what was on the clock hand."

"It seems to be a description of one Will Neville…" mused Freed.

"Will Neville?" echoed Lucy. "You mean the author of 'Key of the Starry Heavens'?"

"The end of the world… is near…"

On those words, Kinana dropped the fork and collapsed. Erik easily caught her, though the frown didn't leave his face. He knew her memory loss due to the spell hadn't been easy to handle for his friend, but he was seriously worried it might be getting to her too much. Her mind was wide open for all sorts of vision, just like this one.

He wasted no time in bringing her to the room upstairs so that she could rest.

"Roughly, it translates to…" Levy leaned over the writings. "Will Neville once had contracts with several Celestial Spirits, and was a powerful wizard who had mastered using them."

"There's more," informed Freed, pursuing the reading. "Will Neville had many disciples. However, after he lied down for that eternal sleep, his disciples dispersed, their whereabouts unknown."

"Oh!"

Lucy suddenly ran out. She was back in a flash and dropped an heavy-looking book on the table.

"What's that?" wondered Natsu.

"A biographical dictionary. I brought one from the storehouse," answered the blonde. "Just wait a second… There! Will Neville!" She quickly found the page concerning the guy. "Will Neville, author… and a Zentopia Cardinal?"

 **'That's kind of a lot of coincidences all in one go, don't ya think?'**

"Ugh, I know. It gives me a bad feeling."

"Um… As a Cardinal, he made many achievements and was also known as a researcher into Zentopia's history. However, he left the church at one point and nobody knew where he was for some time," explained Lucy.

"It doesn't say what he was doing?" inquired Evergreen.

"Well… After being who-knows-where for several years, Will Neville suddenly became an author, joining public life once again. But it doesn't say anything in here about him being a Celestial Spirit Wizard, or that he had disciples…"

"What's going on?" sighed Max, running a hand through his hair. "How does Kinana know stuff about him that's not even in that dictionary?"

"And writing it in an ancient language too…" added Happy.

"That Legion captain said the Infinity Clock belonged to the Church, right?" then recalled Carla.

"Ugh, this is too much!" whined Natsu. "What did your father want us to do, Lucy!?"

"If only we knew where Oración Seis was going to strike next, we could lie in wait for them," pointed out Bickslow.

"Which would be even more effective if we had reinforcements," pointed out Max.

"Unfortunately, we can only count on ourselves at the moment."

At that, everyone turned around to see Erza and Gray finally coming back. Kaelys frowned when understanding what the red-haired Knight had just said.

"What do you mean?"

"Blue Pegasus will be unable to send help right now," she announced, crossing her arms over her chest. "The Trimens left on a mission on the other side of the kingdom a few days earlier. Ichiya went to fetch them, but it could take a while. Sorano has however agreed, and will arrive as soon as she can manage."

"And Lamia Scale can't send anyone either," added Gray, hands shoved in his pockets. "Lyon is still recovering from that fight, since he got a nasty blow to the head, and everyone else went to train somewhere for some reason. So, we can't count on them either."

"Well, it was worth a try, at least," sighed Lucy, closing her dictionary. "Though now what?"

"How about you all just shut up?" then grunted Cana, who had apparently been sleeping behind the bar all along. "Damn, you guys are so noisy…"

"You've been sleeping here the whole day!?" gaped Wakaba.

"I don't know why, but I'm just so sleepy…" mumbled the woman, stretching lazily her arms. "What was that, though? You want to find Oración Seis? I can find them if you want."

"I see! You can use your fortune-telling to find them!" understood Erza, perking up at the idea.

"That's right!"

Everyone instantly gathered around the Card mage as she settled on top of a table. She asked Romeo to bring her a map from the library while she started shuffling her deck of cards. In the meantime, Erik came back down from the room where he had left Kinana. He didn't need any explanation, though, having heard it thanks to his Magic. After a few minutes, the map was set up on the empty request board, and Cana jumped to her feet to face it.

"All right! I'm going to divine the place Oración Seis is targeting next, as well as who should go where," she announced. She closed her eyes for half-a-second… "I see it!"

She threw her cards. They embedded themselves on the map, in small groups of three for most.

"So what, it's decided just like that?" doubted Bickslow, scratching the back of his head.

"Aa," confirmed Cana. "I think the team chemistry and their compatibility with those destinations feel right."

"Whatever, let's just get going!" exclaimed Natsu.

"I'll announce it!" claimed Macao, pulling out the cards. "The first team is composed of Gray, Freed, and Erik!"

"Interesting," mused the green-haired man. "I've always wanted to try partnering up with you two."

"Ice Magic, Rune Magic, and Sound Magic…" Gray grinned a little. "Sounds like an interesting matchup."

"At least I'm not with the fire-breathing idiot," grunted Erik.

"OI!"

"Next, Erza and Evergreen!" announced Macao. "And Max."

"ME!?"

"This is a nice opportunity," remarked Evergreen, radiating with the determination to utterly humiliate her rival. "This time for sure, we'll see which of us is worthy of a fairy name!"

"What's important is finding the Infinity Clock," replied Erza, though she wasn't convincing anyone since she seemed to radiate the same kind of energy. "After I accomplish that, I'll play your game anytime."

"Next, Gajeel and Juvia!"

"The Phantom Road combo that came to our side," snorted Levy.

"Gah! Why must Gray-sama and Juvia be separated!?" cried Juvia.

Gajeel didn't say anything.

"Continuing! Bickslow, Wendy and Macbeth!"

"Another unusual pairing, eh?" grinned the Seith mage, pulling out his tongue. "Sounds fun!"

"I- I'm looking forward to working with you, Bickslow-san, Macbeth-san," shyly replied the Sky Dragon Slayer.

"This is going to be a pain…" murmured Macbeth, rubbing his eyes.

"Next! Happy, Carla and Panther Lily!"

"Aye! The Exceed Team is reunited, uh?" beamed the blue cat.

"Lily aside, I have my doubts about us being able to deal with them," pointed out the white cat.

"Then there are Natsu, Lucy, Elfman, and Michelle!"

"All right!" cheered the Fire Dragon Slayer.

"We're the only four-person team?" remarked the blonde.

"Nee-san, we're together again, uh?" smiled the crybaby.

"Yosh! Let's do our best to find the Infinity Clock! That'll be manly!" exclaimed loudly Elfman, pumping his fists in the air.

"And lastly, Laxus and Kaelys!" then concluded Macao. He then glanced back to the map in confusion. "Though those two…"

"Wait a second!" protested the young girl, her eyes narrowed. "That spot on the map… Isn't this the Guild? What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you and Laxus are to stay here in Magnolia," answered Cana with a small shrug.

"Wha—No way! That's so not fair!" gaped the teen. "How come even the cats can go on their own? Hell, even _Michelle_ is going, and she's not even a wizard!"

"I'm sorry, Lys, that's just what felt right," replied the drunkard with an apologetic smile.

"Though in a way, it might be better for you," pointed out Wakaba. "Ya know, with the Doctor on the loose and all that."

"This is ridiculous," then grunted Laxus, pinching the bridge of his nose. "The chibi, I can get. But me? I could fry these guys in an instant!"

"Probably why you ended up being Kaelys's partner," mused Macao, putting the cars aside. "That way, she has extra protection."

Kaelys almost stomped her foot on the floor at that. "I don't _need_ protection!"

"Kae, please, I know you're upset, but this is simply how things turned out," stated Lucy in a soothing tone, trying to calm her down. "It's probably for the better."

"Plus, Scarlet said Sorano was coming over," added Erik. "She should be here by tomorrow morning, at the latest. You should just relax and try to catch up some more with her."

"I guess…"

Kaelys knew very well that her friends wouldn't budge. The cards had decided, and Cana's Magic was trustworthy. If those teams had been formed, it was for a reason. So, deciding not to make any more trouble for them, the teen backed down. Yes, she was more than upset, but there simply wasn't anything to be done about it.

 **'Ugh, can't believe we're going to miss all the action.'**

"Same," she snorted under her breath. She then turned to Lucy. "You better stay safe, then. I won't be able to save your butt if you get in trouble!"

"I'll be careful, promise," laughed the blonde, lightly patting her head.

"Wait! I'm left behind again?" suddenly realized Macao.

"Hey! I want to go with Natsu-nii too!" protested Romeo.

"Waa! I don't want to be separated from Gray-sama!" cried Juvia. "Gajeel! Trade places with Gray-sama!"

"No way!" Cana stopped them, holding her cards up for everyone to see. "Just like with Laxus and Kaelys, my divination told me these pairings are the best this time around. You'll just have to deal with it."

"WAAAA!"

"Well, don't waste any more time," demanded their Master. "Get going and kick their asses for us!"

"RIGHT!"

As everyone headed out to get started, Kaelys let herself fall on the chair next to Laxus with a heavy sigh. The blond man didn't say anything, and she had a feeling he was sulking.

"I am not," he huffed, obviously hearing her talking to herself.

The somewhat childish retort startled a laugh out of her. He blinked in surprise at her reaction, before shaking his head, though a small smile was now also gracing his lips. Having to stay behind while everyone else went to fight wasn't exactly fun, but he guessed he could deal with the company of the crazy kid easily enough.

* * *

 **There, I hope you liked the new chapter! Not much action in this one, I'm afraid it'll be in the next few chapters, but I hope you still enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to your comments! See ya around!**


End file.
